


Dishonored

by Texan_Red_Rose



Series: Dishonored AU [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, F/F, Rebellion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-07-25 15:02:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 101,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16199957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texan_Red_Rose/pseuds/Texan_Red_Rose
Summary: After Atlas won the Great War, it became their duty to protect and govern the rest of Remnant. Colonel Winter Schnee has always believed Atlas Command has the people's best interests at heart, even if their methods may seem harsh. But after capturing the leader of Mistral's resistance movement- a woman known only as The Rose- she'll learn the hard way that her entire life is built on a lie. The question then becomes: what is she going to do about it?





	1. The Rose and the Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> A commission for Aranea Valon.

Winter Schnee sat at her desk, pouring over reports from all over Mistral. Among the troubling reports sat a score of Grimm attacks throughout the southern part of the territory, resistance fighters harassing the northern supply routes, poor weather cutting off the eastern bases due to high water levels and broken bridges, and civil unrest in the west- luckily, she kept an iron grip on the central part of the region, or it would be entirely lost by this point. Fourteen years of service in the Atlesian military had provided her the proper skill set to deal with such consistent headaches, of course, but it still provided a challenge.

One made more difficult every day the resistance remained active.

A sigh left her lips as she stood, running a hand over her face and turning to look through the tall windows just behind her, overlooking the city. After resoundly defeating Vale and Vacuo during the Pacification some eighty years ago, Atlas had slowly started to exert more control for the benefit of Remnant. Even now, she could see the touches of her homeland present in the architecture, combined with the local Mistrali designs. Although an ally back then, even Mistral needed the guidance only Atlas could provide, and she’d served as the territory’s commanding officer for five years already.

For the most part, she had a sterling reputation in that regard. Grimm attacks had decreased overall, though packs of the creatures still roamed freely wherever the military didn’t patrol, but the resistance fighters seemed to multiply every time she ordered another strike against them. Like the hydra of Mistrali legend, the resistance proved nigh impossible to kill through the tried and true methods, and all attempts to ascertain their base location ended much the same way: all soldiers killed in action and any potential leads lost with them.

It vexed her more than words could say. Military service proved to be one of the many things a Schnee inherited. Her mother served, her grandfather served- every blood relative as far back as the Pacification had answered the call to protect the people of Remnant. Even her sister joined, once she came of age, and her brother, too.

But none faced such utter humiliation. Mistral never proved to be one of the more stable territories- not under Atlesian military rule nearly as long as Vacuo and Vale- yet that provided her no excuse. Her mother would be disappointed that she’d yet to rout the rabble, even further so by their strength growing during her tenure.

A knock at her door made her wince, noting the moon rising high over the city. At this time of night, the only people who would dare disturb her usually brought awful news. “Enter.”

“Colonel Schnee.” A scrawny young man- hardly fit for military service, truth be told- pushed through the door and stopped five paces away from her desk, snapping off a crisp salute. “News from one of the night patrols. They’ve captured a resistance fighter.”

“Captured? Not killed?” She reached up, massaging at her temple. “I don’t need them  _alive_ , Sergeant, I hope you realize that.”

“Yes, Ma’am, but the reports indicate the one they captured is the Rose.”

 _That_ caught Winter’s attention, prompting her to turn around. “ _The_ Rose? One of the leaders of the resistance?” But then her suspicions grew. “How was she captured? Let me see the report.”

Dropping his salute, he approached the desk and handed over a scroll, allowing her to flip through the preliminary report while he recited what he could from memory. “The patrol chased a group of resistance fighters into a gorge. It appears the Rose remained as a rear guard while the rest retreated but a surprise attack by some Grimm distracted her. The patrol acted swiftly to subdue her during the chaos.”

“Small miracles.” She muttered, confirming the synopsis and nodding before handing the scroll back. “I want her brought to my office immediately. If this really is  _the_ Rose, we could potentially extract intel from her. It might be the best lead we’ll get on their base of operations.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He snapped off another salute before scurrying out of the office, leaving her time to organize her thoughts.

This could prove to be a step in the right direction if she played her cards right.

Hitting a button on her desk, she dialed one of her staff officers- it didn’t matter which one, as they all possessed the same level of competence, more or less.

“Lieutenant DeLeon speaking.” Despite the thickness of sleep rounding the edges of her words, the soldier on the other end of the line seemed aware enough- or, at least, cognizant of who she was speaking to- for Winter’s needs.

“Put in an urgent requisition for an interrogation team to be dispatched to our location. No details, mark the file encrypted and top secret.” She paused, mulling over what other preparations she should make. “And put two companies on standby for guard duty starting tomorrow morning.”

“ _Two_ companies, Ma’am?”

Her lips turned down at the corners. “Did I stutter, Lieutenant?”

“N-no, Ma’am. I’ll publish the orders right away.”

“See that you do; I expect to have a status report by zero-seven.” Annoyance fueling her, she amended her orders. “And see that you personally inspect the detention cells in the south wing. I want a full report on the functionality of the entire area, same time.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

She would take no chances. If the Rose actually accomplished half of what military intelligence contributed to the woman, Winter would need every advantage she could get before the prisoner arrived. “That will be all, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, Ma-”

Disconnecting the call, she turned back to look through the window. If everything went well- which she didn’t expect, frankly, but would aim for nonetheless- she might be able to finally pacify the region and rid the territory of its rebellious streak by the end of the year. Then, she could turn her sights to the Grimm encroaching on the cities.

All in due time.

* * *

The next morning, Winter stood in her office as the sun began rising, tendrils of red and orange streaking across the sky. The reports she requested sat on her desk, including vetting reports for the two companies to stand guard over the single prisoner. All born and bred Atlesians, seeing as the Mistrali troops augmenting their force could hardly be trusted, and Lieutenant DeLeon got reassigned that morning to oversee the guard rotations. At present, she felt akin to staring at a chess board before the start of a match, realizing she had only one option to position her pieces but looking for any room for improvement regardless.

A knock on the door brought her attention to the time.

“Enter,” she said, mentally preparing to come face-to-face with the one supposedly responsible for countless deaths and loss of property under her watch. There were others- the Dragon, the Cat, and the Fox being the most egregious perpetrators- but what limited intel they’d recovered over the years indicated that they took their orders from the Rose.

The head of the snake, about to be brought before her, but still dangerous.

The doors opened, four soldiers marching inside with a person hefted onto their shoulders, still wrapped in nets, chains, and all manner of restraints available to an average patrol. Despite having her body entirely immobilized, her head could still move, silver eyes casting around the office before settling on Winter. A half mask covered her face below her eyes, fashioned into the likeness of some Grimm or other- a Gryphon, if she didn’t miss her guess- and red tinged brown hair, matted with mud and blood, framed her features.

“Drop her there.” She nodded towards a rug in the middle of the room. “And leave us. Remain posted outside the door.” Her voice raised, echoing into the hall. “I want this facility on lockdown until I direct otherwise. A full blackout is in effect.”

No one in, no one out, no communication- Winter wanted the Rose to understand that she took the woman’s presence seriously. It might provide her the leverage she needed or appeal to the sort of narcissism she’d expect from one dedicated to bringing more death and ruin to such a dangerous world.

As the soldiers compiled, scurrying out and closing the doors behind them, Winter strode around her desk, keeping her gaze firmly locked on the resistance fighter. Asking outright if she was truly the Rose seemed foolish at best. Instead, she approached, cautiously, with a hand on her saber’s hilt as she crouched.

Beneath the restraints, she could make out the badge- silver with chipped red paint on the inside, the mark used to identify the woman to the other resistance fighters, and fashioned into the shape of a rose.

“So, this is the feared Rose. You’ve caused a significant amount of trouble over the past five years.” Her gaze traveled up and down the woman’s form, searching for any manner of weapons. Not that she didn’t trust her soldiers to do a proper search of a prisoner but the only reason she could imagine for the Rose being captured linked back to some attempt to either assassinate her or launch an attack from within the base. Aside from the tattered red cape and patchwork body armor, though, she couldn’t see much, if any, room to hide a weapon. “I must admit, your ability to elude us has proven most troublesome.”

“Colonel Winter Schnee, commanding officer of the Mistral territory and veteran of the Azulen Rebellion.” Those silver eyes shone fiercely, teeming with energy. “Good to finally put a voice to the face of tyranny. You can stop trying to flatter me by the way; I’ll pass on the Steelholm Syndrome, thanks.”

Annoyance flared within her but she kept her cool, straightening up and circling the prisoner. “Your fearless facade will do you little good here. Keeping secrets will win you only enemies.”

“As if there are any allies in the first place.” The Rose chuckled, though it sounded bitter. “We can be as civil as you want right now, Colonel. It doesn’t wash the blood from your hands.”

“The blood on  _my_ hands?” She had to scoff at that. “I’ve done more to protect the people of Mistral than your lot has; your constant attacks have made it difficult to provide the security the people need and the Grimm attacks persist because of it.”

“You really believe that?” Blue eyes fell on the resistance fighter, her pride prickling at the derision in the woman’s voice. “Of course you do. Naive military fool.”

“You’re in no position to be talking down to anyone,” she replied, the hand on her saber gripping it a little tighter.

“Look who’s talking.” Although a struggle, the woman rolled onto her knees, sitting up as best she could. “Ever since the Great War ended, Atlas has acted like they’re the only ones who know what’s going on- how to protect people, how to defend them, when really it’s just that Atlas is too scared to let people live freely. So they put people like you in charge, who look down on everyone else, because you’re so convinced of your own superiority.”

Resistance rhetoric at its finest, using circular logic that did nothing but attack the Atlesian military. “And you could do so much better?”

“Me, specifically? I’m not the best candidate for the job.” That answer, she didn’t expect, raising a brow as the Rose continued. “But people wouldn’t fear me. They wouldn’t flinch when they see my symbol. They wouldn’t curse my appearance like a blight on the world.” Silver eyes flashed with something, not pride but something just as strong. Just as dangerous. “So, that’s three for three where I’m the better choice than the Atlesian military. Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, and those are the only kind people like you inspire.”

“I am  _trying_ to protect people,” she said, knowing better than to be drawn into such a debate but her pride winning out. “My soldiers conduct their patrols to keep the people of Mistral  _safe_ -”

“And how does conformity keep people safe? These patrols- how often are they fighting Grimm instead of arresting citizens for minor infractions?” Rose furrowed her brows, likely scowling beneath her mask. “You allow more variation in your military uniforms than you allow civilians in their day-to-day lives. Anything to indulge your vanity, while denying that same right to others.”

Suddenly, the medals pinned to her jacket seemed heavier than before. As a matter of course, Atlas imposed strict restrictions on the civilian population, from what manner of clothing they could wear to where they could go. But  _only_ in the name of keeping them safe; a docile populous didn’t bring as many Grimm. “You expect me to believe something that trite could somehow put people at risk?”

“It’s just one part. If you took a step back, you’d see the inequalities too- how Atlesians are treated better, have better options, get more leniency, while the rest of Remnant suffers for it. Don’t even get me  _started_ on how you people treat Faunus.” She shifted, the creak and clink of her bonds sounding ominous. “Haven’t you ever wondered why the heart of Mistral is the best defended, has the least Grimm casualties, and the most Atlesians? What have you to fear? What worries do  _you_ have?”

“I’m trying to save the whole territory,” Winter said, narrowing her eyes at the Rose as her anger began to rise. She lost hours of sleep pouring over details from all over Mistral, trying to improve their defenses and save lives. “And  _you_ are trying to tear it apart!”

“No. I’m trying to save a  _kingdom_ ,” the woman replied, cutting to the heart of the issue. “Mistral was never part of Atlas; your people just subjugated them.”

Slowly, she pushed out a breath, reining in her anger. “Soldiers!” She waited for them to come through the door, never allowing her gaze to deviate from Rose. “Take her to the detention cells. The Lieutenant there will ensure proper lodging for the prisoner.”

As they hefted the woman onto their shoulders again, two figures entered the room- one a welcomed sight and the other sparking her ire.

“Quite the catch, Colonel.” General Cotta stepped aside to allow the soldiers to pass with their cargo. “I’m surprised you haven’t sent word back to Atlas yet.”

“You know I detest sending incomplete reports.” She waited until the soldiers and prisoner left the office, the doors closing behind them, before turning her attention to the other person to enter. “It seems there’s plenty of intelligence to be gathered before filing the official report. I’ll extract more soon, then send in the notification.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, she’s not the most forthcoming.” The Sergeant shrugged, the light catching on the pendant that marked him as a member of the augmentation force- from Vale originally, given the color. “We tried questioning her on the way here.”

“I’m aware.” Walking over to her desk, Winter scooped up the few pages sent ahead of the patrol, briefly glancing over them for some choice phrases. “Tell me, Sergeant Winchester, are you typically this incompetent, or was this particular task simply too much to ask of you?”

Startled by the accusation, he grit his teeth and shot back. “Ma’am, we accomplished the mission well within regulation-”

“Your paperwork says otherwise.” She began to read off from the first page. “Name, unknown, alias, Rose, ethnicity, Mistrali, race, human- how is it in less than five minutes, I’ve ascertained that she’s  _not_ from Mistral at all?” Surprise splashed on his features while General Cotta merely raised a brow. “Next, I notice that you divested her of some dust grenades, but every report we’ve received on Rose indicated she uses some manner of scythe as a weapon.”

“Ma’am, she didn’t have it on her-”

“Are you implying that she  _beat_ the Grimm to death with her  _fists_?”

“W-well, no, Ma’am.”

“Then explain it to me, Sergeant.” Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me how you, born in Vale yourself, missed her accent. While you’re at it, tell me what  _else_ you missed or omitted. And tell me, who are you looking to benefit.”

Fear shone brightly in his eyes as his hands came up, as if warding off a blow. “Ma’am, please-”

“Sergeant Forecastle!” She tossed the report back onto her desk as the man hurried in, snapping off a crisp salute. “Have this man detained immediately, and everyone in his squad as well. I want them held in the west detention cells until they can be thoroughly questioned, and have everything they brought with them searched, immediately.”

Sergeant Winchester began to panic, fear evident in his eyes. “You- you can’t think-”

“Had you been more forthcoming, I wouldn’t be forced to take such drastic measures,” she said, waving a hand dismissively as six of her soldiers came in, four of them keeping their weapons at the ready while two grabbed hold of Winchester. “Either through intentional misdirection or sheer incompetence, you’ve brought this upon yourself.”

“It’s a mistake! It’s just a mistake!” Sergeant Winchester tried struggling, but the two soldiers who grabbed him by the arms allowed him no slack at all, dragging him out of the office until his begging couldn’t be heard.

“Do you sincerely believe he’s aiding the resistance?” The General slowly seated themselves in a chair off to the side, far enough away that Winter could simply ignore the question and return to her work if she so desired but still within the confines of her office.

“Frankly, no.” She set aside the report- which she would have to amend, after conducting her own interrogation- and went about reorganizing the forces she had spread out over the territory. Once the resistance realized their leader was captured, they’d surely mount an offensive- a rescue mission she would ensure failed miserably. “Her accent is hardly pronounced but only Valens are still foolish enough to call it the ‘Great War’. Aside from incompetence, I don’t particularly think there’s cause for concern. Some time spent fretting over it will do him good, though. He’ll be more meticulous in the future.”

“I wouldn’t want to be him right now.” They chuckled, pulling out their scroll and checking a message- likely sent from Atlas command. “His entire squad will be furious. Which, I suppose, is better than being terrified.”

The light joke gave her pause. Perhaps the punishment landed on the side of extreme… but, no, she couldn’t think like that. With the precarious position they occupied, she needed soldiers who would pay closer attention; this provided a lesson, one that needed to be learned.

And no Grimm attack would ever penetrate this far into the city, anyway. She had the full strength of the second division under her command, plus the augmentation units sent from Vale, Vacuo, and even Menagerie. Add to that the Mistrali troops, and she had easily over three hundred thousand soldiers under her command, a third of which resided on the base with her.

A third of the force… for so small an area.

“Lien for your thoughts?” The General prodded.

“Redirecting engineers to build new bridges. Prioritizing which ones need to be built first will be a trial,” she said, hiding away the thoughts for now. “The weather has been as troublesome as the resistance in the past few weeks.”

“There are cells cropping up in the other territories now, too.” They pointed out, indicating their scroll. “Vacuo reports a full platoon lost during an engagement just yesterday.”

“I don’t see what they hope to accomplish.” Stopping for a moment, she looked up from her papers. “Do they not understand that simply complying with the orders handed down is preferable to dying in some Maidens forsaken desert over nothing?”

“To them, it’s not nothing.” Cotta shrugged. “To them, it’s death either way, but one they choose rather than one handed to them.”

“Then they’re fools.” A shake of her head. “There’s nothing we can’t provide if they’d simply let us.” The General’s silence made her pause. “Am I wrong?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Something about their tone concerned her, brows pinching together for a moment before she smoothed out her expression and sat a little straighter. “What brought you by, if I may ask. I doubt this is just checking up on an old friend.”

They’d started their careers at the same time but, while Winter’s lineage provided her with a head start, it had nothing on the pedigree General Terry Cotta possessed. Descended from some of the most critical commanders in Atlas’ history, they could trace their blood back to the Pacification- the ‘Great War’ that the rest of Remnant somehow saw as a struggle between independent kingdoms rather than Atlas asserting its rule over the lesser prepared territories. Like corralling particularly unruly children who had little idea of the dangers the world possessed, it had proven to be a thankless task, and the Cottas were present for every trial and tribulation along the way, much like the Schnees. Except, where Winter’s family excelled at controlling the situation, Terry’s family always seemed to turn things to their advantage.

Yet, now, she found herself envious of that sort of cleverness, because she couldn’t read the look in her friend’s eyes.

“Atlas Command is beginning to… grow concerned.” They waved a hand through the air, as if to dispel the tension that struck her shoulders. “Not regarding Mistral. You’re still in their good graces. It’s Menagerie that’s making the other Generals… worried.” Turning their attention to their scroll, they swiped a finger across it, sending a file to Winter’s. “This symbol has shown up recently.”

Blue eyes glanced down before she sighed. Of course she recognized the white wolf head on a blue field, even if she’d never toured there herself. “The White Fang was crushed years ago. What’s so upsetting about a new group treading on an established name?”

“That’s the problem; we’re rather convinced this  _isn’t_ a new group.” Terry’s lips pulled into a frown. “The island itself is small, as far as habitable areas go, but the upside is that the Grimm population is also low. We’ve only ever needed enough troops there to pacify the Faunus.”

“Then what’s the cause for concern?”

They shook their scroll slightly. “All of these? Popped up overnight.”

Looking back down at her device, she began swiping through the images provided and, after the twentieth one, lost count. Some were tacked onto doorways or light poles but others hung from the tops of Atlesian constructed military buildings and guarded areas. A single person couldn’t have accomplished this- not even a handful. “They’re all over the place.”

“Exactly.” Terry passed a hand over their face. “This is obviously a declaration of war and, with as many and as far flung as they were positioned, the White Fang’s numbers fall more in line with the previous group remaining undetected all these years and growing stronger rather than fresh blood adopting an old sigil.”

Winter leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. With Menagerie to the south of Mistral, any insurrection there would undoubtedly spill across the sea, if word got out. “What are the options?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with for now,” they replied with a soft smile. “All you need to know is that I’ll be doing an… inspection of sorts. I’ll keep you updated with my whereabouts but, for now, just keep an eye out for that symbol.”

She tried not to let her displeasure show. It didn’t often occur where the Generals at Atlas Command deemed her nonessential for such information but, even at her rank, some things simply fell outside her scope. “Of course. I can assign personnel to assist you, if you’d like.”

“Two squads of Mistrali soldiers will do.” They flashed a smile. “I plan on playing the role of civilian VIP for this mission. They never need know my rank.”

“I’ll make the arrangements at once.” Winter quickly typed out a command, sending it to one of her other staff officers, seeing as Lt DeLeon would be indisposed for quite some time. “Take care, Terry.”

“You as well, Winter. Just let me know when you’ve lifted the lockdown. I’d rather be on my way as soon as possible.” They got up, heading for the door to her office, then stopped. Deliberately, they reached into their pocket and pulled out a small device, designed to interfere with any potential listening equipment in the area. “Is there anything you’d like to say  _off_ the record?”

She considered it for a moment. “There’s something about Rose. I've… rarely seen that much conviction towards an ideal. If she’s inspired her followers to similar levels, I fear we may have another Azulen on our hands.”

Only now, when she could be sure no one heard or saw, would she ever admit to such weakness as fear.

“I have faith in you,” Terry replied, pocketing the device and leaving without another word.

Still, a sense of unease lingered in her gut.

What other secrets might her prisoner be holding? And what trials lay ahead for Remnant?

* * *

The detention cell felt more like a broom closet- narrow, long, and lacking any windows. The heavy metal door had a glass pane in it, but some sort of cover denied her a glimpse of the hallway beyond, and the single bulb in a metal sort of cage provided hardly any light at all. It hurt her eyes to look around for long periods of time- but then again, that was the point. Deprive her of her senses, of her sense of time, of every ounce of control she might have, and left to wallow in a crushing silence… Ruby should probably be a bit more concerned about her predicament.

But a smile curled her lips. Despite the lack of sound, she could feel the reverberations of footsteps and doors opening and closing, and it gave her clues. To the amount of people guarding her, for one, but also something she’d suspected all along.

Colonel Winter Schnee, the Wolf of Azulen, an officer with an iron grip and a cold, almost detached sense of the ends justifying the means. Years of subverting the Atlesian occupying force had filled in certain aspects of the woman that proved to be true- blue eyes that saw straight through whoever they landed on, an impassive expression that could be broken but rarely faltered, the posture of one wholly convinced of their own abilities- but they’d left a few things out.

Like the doubt that lurked deep, deep within and the crushing fear surrounding her. Too proud to admit to it aloud, perhaps, but Ruby could see it in the tense line of her shoulders and insistence on placing blame while simultaneously assuming responsibility. Tenacity born out of a fear of failure- a failure that Ruby and her ragtag group of freedom fighters could provide, with just a bit more momentum behind them.

The chains dug into her side, making it impossible to sleep, but she managed to lightly doze. The guards hadn’t bothered to remove her mask- likely too terrified of moving even a toe without the Colonel’s express permission to even consider it- and left her still wrapped up in the devices they’d used to restrain her.

Lifting her head as much as she could, she cast a glance around, squinting to make out the lack of any features on the walls or ceiling- which hopefully meant no cameras.

Rolling onto her back, she closed her eyes, reaching deep within to find that hidden strength that lurked just beneath her skin, the fire of her soul given a form that had all but died out across Remnant. Silver light poured from her eyes, engulfed her entirely, and made the metal brittle- not enough to break, no, she couldn’t tip her hand just yet. Just enough to allow her to breath and shift her arms, allowing her to rest a bit easier. She didn’t expect she’d get  _much_ sleep, but ten minutes would be a blessing at this point.

All too soon, she’d be visited by the Colonel again, if she’d read the woman correctly.

 _That_ was when the real battle would begin. 


	2. Thorns and Claws

Winter marched through the halls, the various paper pushers beneath her command jumping out of her way as she wound through the labyrinth of the headquarters building. A few hours of letting her prisoner wallow in isolation would be good enough to begin her second attempt at gathering intel. Coupled with a benevolent gesture, she just might be able to break through the woman’s stubborn dedication.

However, she wouldn’t be able to approach the detention cells just yet. She’d issued a temporary stop order on the lockdown, allowing General Cotta to leave out with their two squads; from what she understood, the Mistrali troops were briefed they’d be escorting a forward engineer looking to plan out new bridges. Terry always seemed to take the riskiest assignments Atlas Command had to hand down but they also managed to survive them.

In conjunction with the lifted lockdown, she’d called for double manning of the guards and for the lockdown to remain in effect for the south wing. Not even she would break it; just a crack in their defenses would be enough for such a clever fighter to exploit. No chances, no margin for error- she would  _not_ be seen as the incompetent officer who let one of Atlas’ most wanted enemies slip through her fingers.

Meanwhile, she found other things to do. Reorganizing the troops spread out across the territory to provide as many obstacles to the resistance fighters as possible remained high on her list and she’d ordered for more checkpoints to be erected on the few protected roads that left the central region to do just that. The curfew her predecessor put in place remained, of course, but she sent out a reminder to all commands that it be strictly enforced in the months to come and doubled the night patrols to ensure that.

Now, she had time to consider her strategy. Extracting intelligence from an enemy required a very specific skill set, one only the interrogation teams at Atlas Command possessed, but she’d gleaned a few techniques over the years. Using fear to encourage cooperation- she managed to strike terror into her allies with little effort. How hard could an enemy be, even one with so long a battle record? Surely a few nights within the detention cell would begin to break Rose down.

Yet, she had the distinct feeling that, no matter what she tried, getting the base location for the resistance would be impossible for her. It troubled her to admit to any shortcoming but, here, she stood at a distinct disadvantage. She possessed neither the experience nor the time to devote to breaking down every wall, and surely that information would be one of Rose’s most closely guarded secrets. It would be the obvious goal, and when someone’s intentions were easily read, they were also easily thwarted.

Stopping at a window, Winter turned her attention to the yard below, watching as one of her companies drilled in hand-to-hand combat.

“You,” she said, stopping one of the soldiers walking past and briefly glancing at the woman’s rank insignia and the name written beneath. “Private Amitola. Which unit is that?”

“It’s the two-two-sixth, Ma’am.” The Private transferred the stack of papers she held to her left arm so the right could raise in a salute.

“An Atlesian unit… yet that back row is almost all Faunus.” A frown touched her lips. “I’m quite certain the Menagerian augmentation forces are on night patrols, Private, and it’s the middle of the day.”

“Yes, Ma’am; the Faunus down there are from the Second of the First Loyalist Battalion.” For whatever reason, Private Imatola seemed rather peeved while answering. “They’re backfilling the two-two-sixth until their detached squad returns from night patrol.”

“Issue a memorandum to the CO for the two-two-sixth directly from my office and copy all unit commanders as well; no one is authorized to pull a squad from another unit to bring theirs up to strength.” She turned on her heel. “I specifically told the commander of the two-two-sixth three months ago that breaking unit integrity will not be tolerated. It seems I’ll have to have another talk with him.”

“I’ll send out the memorandum soon, Ma’am.”

“Good. And find Sergeant Major Cirrus; have him report to the yard immediately.” She waved a hand dismissively over her shoulder. “That will be all, Private.”

Not that she would expect that to be the end of it, of course. Winter had time to burn anyway and would attend to the Captain herself but sending out the memorandum would function as a warning to others. Provided the Private followed her orders, this  _should_ be the end of it.

Descending down to the yard, the shouts and grunts of effort from the soldiers going through their drills filled the air, tinged by frustration. For the most part, the rank and file were free to head into the city whenever they weren’t actively engaged in a mission, but with the lockdown in effect, they had to spend their time in the barracks. Exercise helped curb their boredom but it wouldn’t do for long term.

“Captain Coal!” Her voice carried across the yard, prompting the instructor to halt the drill for the time being. The man in question- slightly shorter than her, wearing sunglasses that just barely fell within regulation, and one of the dress caps- started towards her, raising his hand in a salute that she quickly returned. “Explain yourself.”

“We needed the backfill to follow proper training guidelines,” he replied, just a hint of a smirk at the corner of his lips. “The Second of the First happily provided us with their unused assets.”

“The Second of the First is on mandated downtime after their last engagement; none of their personnel are authorized for active training.” Her eyes narrowed. “Furthermore, I explicitly stated that breaking unit integrity wouldn’t be tolerated, Captain.”

“But, Ma’am, you sent one of my squads to the west for night patrols.” He shrugged. “Unit integrity is already broken.”

“You’re quite right and I intend to rectify that immediately.” The amusement in his eyes immediately fled. “Consider this your warning order; the two-two-sixth will be mobilizing to join the squad in the west on night patrols. You move out no later than tomorrow morning.”

Blinking in surprise, she could see the beginnings of an argument stirring, lips pulling back for a moment before he thought better of it. “Yes. Ma’am.”

“Good.” She lowered her voice. “And let this serve as a reminder to you, Captain, that here in Mistral, my orders are  _not_ to be disobeyed. Am I clear?”

“Crystal, Ma’am.”

“Excellent.” She nodded. “You’d best get moving, Captain. You don’t have a lot of time.” With that, she turned her attention to the Faunus troops now moving back from the two-two-sixth soldiers. While Captain Coal and his command team attending to theirs, she addressed one standing near the front- some sort of feline, given the way her tail swayed behind her, not prehensile like a monkey Faunus’ would be. “You. Are there any wounded?”

Although allowed to serve beside their human counterparts, Atlesian born Faunus held no ranks and couldn’t raise a hand against Atlesian soldiers, except to defend themselves, which was her main reason for putting an end to the training; although Captain Coal seemed to have given the Faunus leeway in that regard, it would eventually lead to trouble. The two-two-sixth soldiers ran the risk of seriously injuring one of the Loyalists and she only had the Second of the First under her command. They proved invaluable assets during night missions and, with the leader of the resistance currently captured and a possible rebellion brewing in Menagerie, she simply couldn’t afford to have injured and disgruntled Faunus on her base. Nor could she use soldiers with injured limbs and pride, were one of the Faunus to strike back with too much force.

“No, Ma’am.” She saluted, the movement only made awkward by what looked to be a bruise blooming on her shoulder. “We’re fit for duty.”

“Then report to your barracks and await further orders. Instruct everyone in the Second of the First to remain on standby.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Turning, Winter caught sight of Sergeant Major Cirrus, a mountain of a man with a thick, bushy beard. The years had started turning the strands white in streaks amid the reddish brown. “Ma’am, you sent for me?”

“Yes.” She waited until the Faunus had cleared out of the yard, nodding for him to follow her towards one of the doors. “I want you to pick one of the companies we have on standby. Not the two-two-sixth, they have a mission, but one of the other ones. Conduct a thorough health and welfare inspection of the barracks.  _All_ barracks.”

She thought about having just the Second of the First’s and the Menagerian augmentation force’s barracks searched but thought better of it. Aside from not wanting to be transparent in what she sought, there remained the possibility that somehow a resistance sympathizer had infected her ranks, which would require a sweep of the Mistrali augmentation forces’ quarters as well. Better to toss everything and see what falls loose.

“Any particular… items we should keep an eye out for?” Unlike the vast majority of her senior staff, Sergeant Major Cirrus had a subtle streak, able to read between the lines and see that she intended for something more than merely checking in on those under her command.

“Unfamiliar paraphernalia,” she said, looking up at him. “If you don’t recognize it, I want to see it.”

“Understood, Ma’am.”

“I want a report of any findings on my desk by sundown.” She raised a brow. “Is that enough time?”

“More than enough, Ma’am.” He saluted. “I’ll get on it immediately.”

Winter checked her scroll. General Cotta and their entourage should’ve moved out by now, reverting the base to lockdown protocol. She would be able to speak with her prisoner.

Perhaps then she might start making sense of things.

* * *

Ruby sighed, having slowly shuffled her way to the wall furthest from the door. A little bit of sleep made her sharper but it also made her aware of the hunger in her belly, something she’d almost forgotten about the night before. Somehow, having a ton of weapons pointed at her made food seem unimportant and, lacking that, she couldn’t help but think about what sort of meal might await her.

According to Yang, it would be either one of two things: some manner of slop, with the grainy texture of dry oatmeal and the taste of hot dirt, or a professionally prepared three course meal. The former for the prisoners who would never betray their secrets unless driven to madness on the brink of death and the latter for those who could be… coerced into switching their allegiance.

Hopefully, she’d firmly set herself in the former camp.

Her head lifted up as the caught the trembling that ran through the floor, as if several soldiers were moving around at once, and a smile curled her lips. The Colonel had finally come for her; no one else would inspire those guarding her to scurry around like cockroaches when the light turned on and instill complete silence a moment later.

A few minutes later, the door swung open, and a heavenly, heavy scent filled the air- cooked vegetables, thick chicken broth, the slightest tang of spices. A Mistrali delicacy.

Ruby had half a mind to be insulted. “Are you really expecting a bribe to work?”

“Of course not,” the Colonel replied, crossing the room as the heavy door closed behind her, setting the bowl down in front of the bound prisoner. “But I know once the interrogation squad arrives, you’ll wish you cooperated with me.”

“Oh, now there’s a threat.” Trying her best to ignore the smell filling her lungs, silver eyes watched the woman as she stood back, feigning interest in the walls of the cell. “All you need is a mustache to twirl and you’d be a proper villain.”

“Only to your mind.”

“There you go, showing your naivety again.” Ruby couldn’t help but laugh a little. “I’m the enemy to you; you’re the enemy to me. The difference is, you have a rather finite amount of people trying to kill me, and I seem to keep finding more who want to kill you.”

“I think that just makes you a shepherd leading a flock over a cliff.”

“And that’s different from  _ordering_ them over a cliff, how, exactly?” She needed to keep pushing, to keep prodding the woman. A soldier might have discipline but there also existed a breaking point and she needed to find it- the sooner, the better. It probably drove her sister mad to simply sit back on her hands while Ruby took this mission personally but some things couldn’t be helped. “Colonel, you’ll never be able to intimidate me when you’re shrouded in your own fear.”

“I fear  _nothing_ ,” she said, the vehemence in her voice and furrow to her brow brief but present- a denial, one of the best tools available for those with a conscience. “Didn’t you just remark earlier that I have nothing  _to_ fear? You’re reaching for straws, Rose.”

She had to fight to keep the smirk out of her voice. “You’re awfully confident you know who I am. Rose- is that even a name? An alias? Do you know? Do you have any idea what this ‘Rose’ looks like?”

The pinched expression that came over the Colonel’s face then- doubt, at first, then assurances to battle it back. “You’re playing coy. You  _are_ Rose, leader of the resistance. You’ve admitted as much already.”

“No, I didn’t.” When blue eyes turned her way, she met the woman’s stare with a smile lurking in her eyes. “I never confirmed or denied my identity. I merely stated I’m fighting against you, and the list of enemies the Atlas military has is almost as long as the government’s. Neither of you have been keen on being well liked. Kinda hard to subjugate and violate indiscriminately if you have to be polite about it.”

“What is it you’re hoping to accomplish?” Suspicion played to her favor now, as the Colonel began pacing around the room. “You won’t be released on some vague assurance you’re not Rose when all evidence points to the contrary. You’re simply wasting time.”

“Evidence?” Ruby tilted her head. “What evidence? You mean, that I was out past curfew? That I ran from the soldiers chasing me? Tell me, what  _is_ the punishment for breaking curfew?” She shifted, pointedly making her bonds creak and clink. “I seem to think it’s being arrested, at the very least.”

“It doesn’t matter-”

“You’re right. It doesn’t.” It almost felt too easy, shifting gears too fast for the woman to keep up, keeping her in a state of whiplash. “It never matters to Atlas  _why_ they punish someone. I was out past curfew, I ran from the night patrol, I had a unique pin- the reasoning is always there. That’s what happens when there are more laws then there are trees; it’s not hard to justify incarcerating someone. It doesn’t matter if none of these things actually link back to Rose. No matter what you do to me, it’s justified in your mind, because you never stopped to ask  _why_.” She paused, and she could tell the woman was running through her memory, trying to pinpoint the exact reason the night patrol gave chase to her in the first place. Was it a curfew violation? Was it something else? Someone like this- who so vastly overprepared, who refused to tolerate mistakes, who held everyone around her to an impossible standard- a person like this didn’t trust anyone else. So the doubt would linger and fester. “You won’t ask why I got arrested because you already know- I broke a law, doesn’t matter which one or how many, I did something, because there’s no way I  _couldn’t_ do something, and that’s all that matters- and that’s all you need to try and wring from me something you don’t even know if I have. And you’ll never ask yourself why.”

The silence that followed as the Colonel tried to figure out what angle she could be working amused her. She could almost see the gears turning, assembling the pieces but unable to make them fit. Because now, she seemed to be asking herself why, but not in regards to the questions Ruby brought up.

Because why would the leader of the resistance allow herself to be captured? Why would she be out where a night patrol could find her easily? Why didn’t she have her signature weapon? Why did she have dust grenades out in the middle of nowhere, far and away from any military targets?

Why. Why. Why.

“If you’re trying to make me doubt your identity, you’re doing a poor job of it.” The Colonel seemed sure, resuming her impassive demeanor- or trying to, at any rate. “Only a member of the resistance would be this calm in such circumstances. Civilians- those who do not wish to fight- would be begging by now.”

“Perhaps you’re right.” She shrugged as much as her bonds allowed. “But it does present a rather damning question, now doesn’t it?”

She considered it a good sign the Colonel thought she could keep up with her. Any number of officers in her position- any number of people- would retreat at this point, too afraid of where further interaction might lead. Or, perhaps, too angry they couldn’t come up with something to come back with, other than angry denials that ran dangerously close to tantrums. But not the Wolf. “And what question would that be?”

“How many innocent people have been killed under your watch?” She stared right into the woman’s face, knowing she’d rise to the challenge; the Colonel wouldn’t look away, not if it meant showing weakness. And  _that_  meant, she would listen, too. “My arrest was made on vague descriptions and you made a judgment call that they were  _probably_ accurate, but you didn’t know for sure until you personally checked. But you don’t review  _every_ arrest made in Mistral like that, do you? And a lot of those arrests lead to summary executions. It’s the law of the land, after all.” A pause, long enough for the woman’s face to twitch. “So, now there’s two options. One being that your night patrols have been correct every time they’ve engaged in an arrest or combat against the resistance. The other… they’ve been guessing. And not everyone they’ve arrested is guilty at all, and not everyone they killed is a member of the resistance, but you never bothered to check.” Then she lowered her voice. “But I think you and I both know the world never operates in absolutes.”

Ultimately, Ruby looked away first; she’d wounded the woman’s pride enough for one day. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the wall and sighed, listening to the shifting of the Colonel’s stiff uniform.

“Very well. You’ve made your point.” Ah, a concession. Perhaps she was getting somewhere. “There very well  _may_ be some innocent blood on my hands. But-”

“But, it was for the greater good, or the safety of the people, or to protect Remnant, or something else that helps you sleep at night,” she said, smiling slightly beneath her mask. “Make your excuses. I really don’t care to hear them.”

The tread of her boots as the Colonel crossed the room and knelt down, prompting Ruby to open her eyes. “Are you Rose, leader of the resistance?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Thank you.” Slowly, the woman reached forward, finding the clasp that unhooked her mask and pulling it away. Then, she got to her feet and started for the door. “I’ll send in a team to free you from the majority of your restraints. Enough to allow you to eat, at the very least.”

Admittedly, she didn’t expect  _that_ degree of leniency. “That’s it? I tell you who I am; that’s all you were looking for?”

“Of course not.” The Colonel turned once she reached the door. “Ever since the first signs of a resistance, Atlas Command has tried to figure out your motives here in Mistral. Economic gain? Nationalism? Religious beliefs? Your lot has been very good about covering their tracks, appearing to be after all and none of them at the same time. Now, I know. This is about ideology and morality.” A slight curl to her lips. “And, perhaps, more than a little revenge.” With that, she exited. “Enjoy your meal, Rose.”

Ruby waited for a moment before cracking a smile. As clever as she was ruthless, the Colonel had a few surprises in her after all.

Interesting.

* * *

Winter sat at her desk, pouring over report after report as a headache formed, pounding at her temples. Once she’d finished the fourth stack, frustrated at being unable to find what she sought, she reached over and jammed a button on her desk.

“Ma’am?”

“Send me someone from the records center.” Honestly, she did  _try_ to keep the irritation from her voice. “I don’t care who, just get me someone!”

“Right away, Ma’am.”

She’d already tried running a search through every report filed during her tenure as commanding officer of Mistral. That she’d insisted they all be digitized made the process quicker but ultimately left her frustrated, as nothing she used to search through the reports seemed to match her suspicions about Rose’s intentions. The woman  _must_ have lost someone dear to her during some military action to inspire such barefaced contempt for the Atlesians, to fuel her founding of the resistance- something others could sympathize with, something significant and imbedded deep in the hearts of every Mistrali- but she could find nothing.

At least, nothing in the past five years. Sifting through the hard copy paperwork of her predecessor’s tenure proved tedious at the very least and, thus far, fruitless besides.

Start over- that seemed the best option. Narrow down the timeline, bring things into more concise detail, and  _then_ start her search.

But she couldn’t do it alone, not with the pounding in her head and no decent method of sorting through the reports before her.

“Ma’am?” She looked up, noting Sergeant Major Cirrus entering with Private Amitola trailing not far behind. “I have the report you requested.”

For a moment, she almost forgot to what he was referring, but then it clicked. “Any discrepancies noted, Sergeant Major?”

“Negative, Ma’am.” He crossed the distance and set the scroll on her desk. “Just a few minor infractions in the augmentation forces’ barracks.”

She swiped through, finding no hint of the White Fang emblem anywhere, and nearly set the scroll aside, but then she thought better of it.

Winter sat back in her chair, going over the images and attached descriptions again. “Sergeant Major… how did the augmentation forces come by these items?”

“Frankly, Ma’am, they likely bought or bartered for them from the Atlesian soldiers.”

She set the scroll down. “Is providing these items to those unauthorized to have them a punishable offense?”

Immediately, he tried to clarify. “By military code or Atlesian law?” But then it occurred to him. “Actually, no, Ma’am. For both.”

Not an offense to supply, but an offense to possess, and only for some… a frown tugged at her lips. “Odd. I though for sure there was something…”

“There is the Commander’s Directive, Ma’am; you can issue a punishment for any offense you deem suitable.” The Sergeant Major shrugged. “But, there’s no explicit code or law forbidding the possession by an Atlesian, or holding them accountable if the items happen to pass into someone else’s possession.”

Winter rubbed at her chin and hummed. “Why is that?”

“Ma’am?”

“Nothing.” She waved a hand and cleared her throat. “What have you done with the contraband?”

“It’s been collected and those guilty of possessing them moved to the detention cells in the west wing.” He paused, eyes darting away for a moment. “For the majority, it’s their first infraction.”

Putting her face in one hand, Winter sighed heavily. Atlas Command rarely gave out third chances; they weren’t even crazy about second ones. It would be death by firing squad for those who’d already broken the code or law. That morning, she would be more concerned about requesting the necessary replacements from Atlas Command.

Reaching over, she hit a button on her desk. “Lieutenant DeLeon.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Activate another company for guard duty, west wing detention cells.” She paused, mulled over her options. “All detained individuals are under restricted motion until otherwise notified.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“That will be all, Lieutenant.” She ended the call, a little voice in the back of her mind wondering.

“Ma’am?” The Sergeant Major lifted a brow. “Correct me if I’ve misunderstood, but ‘restricted motion’ orders are more often used for drunken soldiers who need time to sober up, not the soon-to-be executed.”

“Are you questioning my commands, Sergeant Major?”

“No, Ma’am. Just… attempting to gain perspective.”

Standing up, Winter turned towards the window and clasped her hands behind her back. “Someone had to pass the contraband to the augmentation forces, Sergeant Major. Someone who expected to face no repercussions but well aware they might be condemning others to death.” With a frown, she continued down a different tangent than the one her mind had taken. “And I notice a far bit of the contraband found its way into the hands of the Vacuon augmentation force. You’ve read the reports the same as I have, Sergeant Major; Vacuo is becoming more dangerous as rebels openly engage our forces in the territory… so I find it quite odd that we’re about to lose half the augmentation force, which will require reinforcements from a location that needs every body it gets.”

“That…  _does_ seem like a rather interesting correlation, Ma’am.” The slow cadence of his speech showed that he didn’t quite believe her reasoning but, after a moment’s pause, he seemed to accept it. “Should we question the individuals involved?”

“Yes. I want to know who’s been distributing the contraband to the augmentation forces. It could just as easily be the resistance trying to weaken us as Vacuon rebels attempting to divide our strength, and we can’t rule out the possibility that the two groups are working towards a mutual goal.” It seemed a solid enough train of thought… but she couldn’t be sure if  _she_  believed it, either. “I want a full investigation into the matter, Sergeant Major. I’ll assign you an officer to oversee the process. Let them sweat it out tonight; hopefully, they’ll be rather forthcoming tomorrow.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He saluted and then excused himself, leaving only Private Amitola standing there.

“You’re the one from records, yes?” Now that she wasn’t entirely distracted, Winter had a better chance to give the soldier a once over. Tanned skin with what looked to be pock marks on her cheeks, brown hair, and grey eyes- the look of one born in the high mountains of Atlas. A much different climate to what Winter remembered from her youth, having lived in the south near Atlas Command, but she’d visited a base up there once. “I’m afraid I’ve quite the task for you.”

“Ready, Ma’am.”

“I need you to comb through all the reports in the past twenty years.” She didn’t make it a habit of guessing people’s ages but, considering the proficiency and intelligence on display, Rose couldn’t be a child. At least mid-twenties, perhaps more, but anything during the first five years probably wouldn’t leave enough of an imprint to fuel the woman into present day. It  _had_ to be within the past twenty years. “Focus on Vale and Mistral. Look for any instances where a group of people were… erroneously executed.”

“Erroneously executed, Ma’am?” The inflection in her voice spoke of something- frustration with the task, likely, and the vague wording.

“I’m specifically looking for an event where, after a person or people were executed, locals resorted to violence in defense of the deceased, which lead to more executions.”

“With respect, Ma’am.” The Private frowned. “You’ve just asked for the history of Remnant.”

A grimace passed over her face as she reclaimed her seat. “Are there any events that stick out to you? Specifically dealing with this area?”

Amitola looked away for a moment, then cleared her throat. “Ma’am… there may be something, about twenty years ago.” She straightened up, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. “Shortly after Atlas Command issued the directive to… relocate the remaining Faunus who called the territories home to Menagerie, several groups of humans all across the territories spoke out in defense of the Faunus. Some were even in Atlas.”

“Right.” Winter leaned back. She’d hardly been twelve at the time when the news first broke, just barely able to grasp the concepts being relayed without needing her Mother to explain it. At first, they were just mild protests- humans forming physical walls with their own bodies to protect their Faunus neighbors- but that changed, though the details escaped her. “There were protests but they turned violent after a military squad was attacked while providing security for one. In the Mantle Mountains, I think.”

“That’s the official story, Ma’am.” The Private frowned. “But it isn’t what  _really_ happened.”

“You know this for a fact?” She quirked a brow.

“I was born in Zugspitze.” Her hands started to curl, balling into fists. “I watched them march down the street. The military commander in charge of keeping the protest peaceful determined that it had gone on for too long and ordered the soldiers to open fire. He didn’t know some of the protestors were armed until they returned fire- that’s where they took the justification for their actions. Framed the dead.” A flush started to rise in her cheeks- actually, her whole body started to turn red. “My parents died that day, Ma’am. I know  _for a fact_  their deaths were avoidable.”

Winter nodded slowly. “Your parents died serving Atlas. There can be no more honorable a death than that.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Her voice turned tight, forced out through gritted teeth, and the flush in her skin became worse.

“How recent is your transfer, Private Amitola?”

“I reported for duty last week, Ma’am.”

“That explains it.” She waved a hand. “You’re dismissed. In fact, you’re on quarters for three days.” Her attention returned to the reports on her desk, through which she still needed to sift. Feasibly, the daisy chain of protests turning violent as militant forces- or, perhaps, simply citizens defending themselves- clashed with the military might be a good place to start, especially given Rose’s fixation on the Faunus. As good a starting point as any. “You haven’t had time to adjust to the climate here. Once you’ve returned from quarters, light duty, four days. Give your body the chance to acclimate.” A glance up. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“… thank you, Ma’am.” She still sounded like she was struggling but, after rendering a salute, Private Amitola left without another word, and Winter took that to be a good sign.

Logging the orders through the interface on her desk, she returned her attention to the reports. The conflicts that arose during the relocation- that wasn’t entirely successful, as evidenced by the Faunus of Vacuo and Vale- would fall within the timeline she sought and could potentially lead her to the source of the Mistrali resistance. Once she’d uncovered that, she would have an idea of how to better provoke responses from her prisoner. Perhaps she could even find a way to dismantle the idealism the resistance possessed, destroying them from the inside.

But it would take pawing through hundreds of reports, not to mention the ones she’d yet to pull, and with every word she read, her heart sank a bit further into her chest. With the ones under her tenure, she merely searched keywords, narrowing down from thousands a mere handful.

Here, she didn’t have that luxury, and she began to pick up on more than a few… patterns.

 _751204 Unknown, mids 20’s, human, killed during contact with night patrol, suspected resistance fighter_  
 _751204 Unknown, mid 20’s, human, killed during contact with night patrol, suspected resistance fighter_  
 _751204 Unknown, mid 20’s, human, killed during contact with night patrol, suspected resistance fighter_  
 _751204 Jasmine Kent, 24, human, seriously wounded during contact with night patrol, suspected resistance fighter, executed 751205_  
Addendum:  
751205 Greyson Birch, 25, human, associate of Jasmine Kent, suspected resistance fighter, executed

At least a hundred more read the same way.

 _640423 Slate, 32, Faunus, refused to relocate, executed_  
640423 Ardent, 47, Faunus, refused to relocate, executed  
640423 Chisholm, 41, Faunus, refused to relocate, executed  
640423 Violet, 12, Faunus, refused to relocate, executed

Many more read like  _that_.

Hours of looking through the papers and she had to take a break, perhaps leave it until the next day, seeing as the moon had long risen. However, she opted to pick up  _one_ more file, flipping through it until her brows furrowed.

 _620819 Taiyang Xiao Long, 31, human, fugitive from Vale territory, killed during apprehension_  
620819 Unknown, under 10, human, fugitive from Vale territory, no remains recovered  
620819 Unknown, under 10, human, fugitive from Vale territory, no remains recovered

Pushing aside the stack she’d pulled the report from, she separated it out, finding the forwarded report from Vale tucked underneath. A single name stuck out.

“Summer Rose,” she said, picking up the Vale report and reading through it carefully.

The further the read, the more sure she became that she’d found exactly the thing she’d sought.

But she had to pay a price for that knowledge.

* * *

Night had fallen over the base. During the daytime, she could feel the rhythmic pounding of boots reverberating through the floor as tens of soldiers marched around, keeping watch through every inch of the detention cell area, but once they felt safe from the watchful eye of the Colonel, their movements became lax. They took longer during their patrols and snuck in breaks- at least one caught a nap a few cells over, the snoring loud enough she could  _hear_ it through the walls.

Ruby sighed, shifting slightly as she tried to get comfortable. With a full belly, it shouldn’t be hard to nap for a bit, recover a bit of her energy, but something stopped her. Nagging at the back of her mind, putting her nerves on edge- she hadn’t survived through so many battles by discounting her instincts, and they were screaming that she needed her wits about her.

Sleep could wait.

So she passed the time by running through her mission in her head. The end game. The biggest gamble they’d taken to date.

A direct assassination attempt on the Atlas Command structure.

No one without Atlesian blood could even enter the kingdom’s borders, and even those  _with_ blood would be heavily monitored if they weren’t born there. Not only had their resistance lost several members trying to get someone into the kingdom over the years, but their kindred rebels in the other kingdoms had failed, too. Infiltrating the Atlesian population elsewhere proved easy in comparison- even the military. To date, they’d only had  _one_ successful infiltration of Atlas itself, though, and a single person against the consolidated might of Atlas Command?

She wouldn’t let anyone else take  _those_ odds. At least, only over her dead body.

Which, incidentally, happened to be the back-up plan.

Ruby’s attention snapped to the door as it pushed open, preparing herself. The interrogation team the Colonel must’ve sent for would be arriving sometime soon, she supposed, at what better time than the dead of night for them to start plying their skills?

However, much to her surprise, she very much recognized the person who stepped through the door, shutting it softly behind her.

“What are you  _doing_ here?” Ruby tried to keep her voice down, scanning the walls again for the upteenth time to ensure she wasn’t being watched.

“I’m doing Blake a favor. Well, Yang, really, but that’s beside the point.” Ilia quickly crossed the room and crouched down, that their conversation could remain quiet. “Don’t worry; the Colonel’s busy hunting down reports.”

“You’re the  _only_ person who can infiltrate Atlas.” Although she wouldn’t call it ‘panic’, she could certainly feel a bit of anxiety creeping into her. “If I fail-”

“Okay, one, you’re not going to fail. I’ve seen what you can do when you’re  _not_ trying.” Rolling her eyes, she reached into her military jacket and pulled out a ration bar. “Second? I  _had_ to do my rotation abroad  _somewhere_ and here’s where I can do the most good. I got here a week ago with a batch of other soldiers; I’m just a number in a paragraph now.” She ripped open the packaging and held it out, slightly impatient. “Now eat this and let me know if you’ve found out anything you want the others to know. I have to get back to the barracks soon. The Colonel put me on quarters.”

“Are you sick?” Still reeling from the discovery, Ruby took the bar and started chewing, accepting a flask of water from the Faunus’ belt.

“No. I just-” Something flashed through her eyes- anger, briefly, judging by the reddening of her skin. “I got angry and she took it for climate sickness. She wants me to rest up and acclimate.”

Pushing the bar to the side of her mouth, she managed to get out a few quick words. “That excuse won’t work forever.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” she replied flatly. “It’s not like I’ve been walking the edge of a sword my entire life as is.”

“Sorry.” She swallowed. “It’s just… this is dangerous enough. With both of us here-”

“You have your mission, I have mine.” Ilia got to her feet. “And you need to turn up the pressure on the Colonel. She’s starting to dig into past reports, looking for something. You’ll  _really_ need to pull out all the stops if you’re going to convince her to send you to Atlas Command for questioning.”

“She’s already called for an interrogation squad.” Ruby frowned slightly. “Once they get here, they’ll take me back. No doubt about it.”

“You really think that?”

“The moment I ‘break’ and tell them that all the forces fighting against Atlas’ rule are connected? Yeah. They’ll take me back.” A sigh left her lips. “Our allies in Vacuo tried this approach already. The person they sent, though… didn’t survive the trip.”

That was as close as they could get, having spies on the boats and airships. One would think getting lost in cities as big and sprawling as those in Atlas would be the easy part but there were cameras everywhere that scanned biometrics, even read aura; no one could hide in a place like that. So, they took careful note of the docks.

A hand landed on her shoulder. “Are you sure there’s no other way?”

“We can’t fight our way through thousands of Paladins and Knights. Not to mention the flesh-and-blood soldiers.” Her resolve solidified as she nodded. “Atlas Command is a fortress but I can do enough damage from the inside. I’m only going to have one shot at this, but I’m going to make it count.”

Ilia nodded. “Anything you want me to pass on?”

“Tell Yang I’m doing fine.” A little smile. “And that she needs to keep an eye out. I’m pretty sure the Colonel will be increasing night patrols soon. She’s probably paranoid as hell.”

“I… guess you could say that.” At Ruby’s curious expression, she clarified. “They did an inspection of the barracks today. But she wants those caught with contraband to be questioned; she wants to know who’s feeding them the contraband.”

“Huh.” She tilted her head. “She doesn’t strike me as the sort to bend protocol.”

“She’s also rather well known for using every advantage she has. I think this might be the start of some sort of reckoning.” Ilia started towards the door. “I just hope this pushes more people to our side. We can’t afford to take another big hit, not when Menagerie and Vacuo are on the verge of all out war.”

“Keep your ears open. Give our people a heads-up if she starts to mobilize troops en masse.”

“She’s already sent a company out west for night patrols. That’s… pretty big.” She held up a hand. “I already included that in an earlier report. Yang’s shifting our people away from the west.”

“Good.” Ruby closed her eyes. “Is Pyrrha-”

“She’s doing her best.” The Faunus pressed her lips into a thin line. “She’s not going to be able to hold Yang back forever, though.”

“Then I’d better hurry.” She nodded. “Thanks, Ilia. Maidens be with you.”

“And may Dust damn your enemies.”

With that, she slipped back out, leaving Ruby alone. Protecting Ilia’s identity would be the easy part, frankly- even if the Colonel had reason to suspect traitors in her ranks, she’d likely seek obvious sources, and the Faunus prided herself on her infiltration skills- but getting such a strict, stubborn woman to break down enough that she sped up her own time table…

Well, ‘easy’ wasn’t the word that came to mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad y'all are interested in this story! Definitely a departure from my usual but a lot of fun to write. Thank you so much for the feedback.


	3. Roots in the Den

The beeping of her alarm roused Winter, despite being in the other room. After finding the report she’d sought, she’d hardly made it back to her quarters before exhaustion took the remainder of her strength. **  
**

Two hours before sunrise, she sat up in the chair she’d collapsed into, stretching her arms above her head. The glass she’d filled with burning amber liquid the night before sat next to the report, half empty.

Silently, she reached over and opened it, confirming that she hadn’t suffered some manner of fever dream that strung together fictional events. No, every word she’d read stood out against the faded, crinkled paper, so she closed it and set it aside, eyeing the glass for a moment. Although she wouldn’t  _usually_ start the day in such disarray, she also felt like she absolutely needed the bracing bite to fully rouse her.

Ultimately, she pushed it away and went to her bedroom, shutting off her alarm and pulling out a fresh uniform for the day. She would need her wits about her fully if she wished to confront her prisoner.

Winter couldn’t be sure if the answered she sought… would be the ones she wanted to hear.

Before heading to her office, she stopped by the interface in her living room to read the notes sent to her overnight. Among them, she noted the two-two-sixth had rolled out to link up with their squad and a notification that a secured message arrived via the only operable line they kept open during the blackout.

On top of dealing with the contraband issue and her prisoner, she’d need to personally call to Atlas Command and explain herself to one of the Generals.

Sending a message to her staff officers, she informed them that she expected a pot of coffee in her office by the time she arrived.

It would be a  _long_ day.

* * *

Ruby sat against the wall, humming softly to herself a tune she’d learned sometime when she was young. She couldn’t remember where she’d heard it from but Yang always smiled whenever she started it up and sometimes even joined in, even when things looked dire. Like that time they were both pinned down by Atlesian soldiers- no ammo, steep odds, and no chances of getting any back up. They’d gotten clever that time, and perhaps a bit lucky, but they’d made it out with only a few new scars.

It just… gave her hope, even when she probably shouldn’t have any.

She could tell by the movements of the soldiers outside that it was close to daybreak. Usually, everyone on the base would be awake about an hour before, scuttling to wherever they needed to be in time for the morning call-to-arms, and then in full swing by the time the sun started its climb through the sky.

But there seemed a bit more going on than the previous morning. The guards moved around a little erratically, as if startled by something.

Then the door opened and she supposed that explained everything well enough.

The Colonel walked stiffly, as if she’d been injured or just slept wrong, the tightness in her neck probably from stress. Though, the pinched expression might also be from finding out the nighttime guards weren’t as attentive to their duties as their daytime counterparts. She held a few papers in her hand that looked weathered, old, and recently leafed through.

Ah, she thought, schooling her expression into one of mild curiosity. A clever soldier indeed.

“Summer Rose,” she said, those blue eyes staring down at her, looking for any sign.

Ruby thought it would work to her advantage, so she indulged her. “My mother. I’ve heard a lot of stories about her over the years.”

“Including how she died, I assume.” The Colonel indicated the report. “What’s your version of the tale?”

“Interesting word choice.” She met the woman’s gaze. “You’re already implying that what I’m about to say isn’t the truth.”

“What you’ve been told is likely an embellishment.” She indicated the papers. “Between your version and this, I will find the truth.”

“Do you really think that’s the most important thing I have to offer?” A nonchalant shrug, a bait to hurry up with the interrogation process, but she continued regardless. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Mom and Dad lived in a little cottage on Patch. It’s an island just off the coast of Vale.”

“I know where it is.” Her eyes narrowed. “The population there was small, the economy was geared towards fishing, most people inherited their occupations from their parents- it’s a blip but one I’m familiar with. Atlas Command had the people there relocated a decade ago.”

“You should be a tour guide.” Ruby smirked, noting the brief flicker of annoyance in the woman’s face. “Back then, before the ‘relocation’, it was just the four of us. Mom, Dad, my sister, and me, and the thing about small, tight knight communities is that you can’t really take someone away from it without leaving an impact. Trades are passed down- remove the people who know that trade, and you’ve left the community lacking a basic element. That’s what the relocation order was doing to Patch, trying to tear it apart. First, they took the Faunus, forcing them to move to Menagerie. Mom stood up to the Atlesian soldiers doing it and they killed her for it. So Dad took us and tried to come here, to Mistral. Eventually, the Atlesian military got their way and took a third of the island’s population, then stationed their own soldiers there.”

“Soldiers who didn’t take up the trades vacated by those relocated- or on the run. I suppose that’s where you’re going with this.”

“Well, that,  _and_ they continued using resources. Less people fishing but more people eating the fish- it’s not exactly a sustainable model.”

The Colonel hummed. “The infrastructure collapsed on itself, leading to the relocation of Patch’s remaining population. I suppose I could believe that.” Her head tilted. “But it doesn’t explain how your father died yet you survived.”

“My sister did too. We’re kids from an island; we knew how to swim before we could walk.” She couldn’t recall the details herself- just a bit too young- but Yang told her the story when she was old enough. Usually while yelling, because she’d been holding onto the anger for years and needed to let it out, but Ruby could be a bit calmer, even if it hurt. “Dad stayed with the boat, drew the soldiers chasing us away so we could swim to shore.”

“Two children alone in a strange land.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “That was almost twenty years ago. How did you survive?”

Now, she had to get creative. “We were taken in by a village. They raised us for a while, until the Atlesian patrols became stricter. After that, we wandered, until we decided we’d had enough. Atlas took everything from us- Mom, Dad, our home. All we have left is each other.” A pause and she chuckled; even if the this part of the story wasn’t strictly what happened, it did hold a bit of truth in it all the same. “Well, I guess, that’s out now. Once she finds out where you’re holding me… there won’t be any stopping her.”

“I’m not sure if I believe that.” Now the Colonel seemed to be gaining confidence, convinced she’d ferreted out a lie. “Your sister’s dead. Else, she would’ve been here by now.”

“She might not be the poster child for patience, but she knows how to bide her time. I  _know_ she’s out there.” Another shrug. “It’s a sister thing; you wouldn’t understand it.”

“I  _have_  siblings. A sister and a brother.”

“Younger or older?”

“Younger, both of them.”

“Are you sure they’re safe?”

The Colonel immediately bristled. “You’re in no position to be making threats. And if  _any_ of your ilk come anywhere near them, I will personally skin each and every one of you alive.”

“Oh, but how could you use us against our friends and family then?” Ruby shot back, noting the dark cloud that seemed to settle over the woman. “Since we’re playing the game of fact or fiction, I’m curious- did you  _really_ use the reanimated corpses of fallen rebels to fight their former friends in Azulen?”

“I don’t use reanimated corpses.” She forced out through gritted teeth, the hand holding the report clenching hard enough to crinkle the papers.

“Forgive me if I’m not convinced.”

And then something happened- something Ruby could hardly explain, even as it unfolded before her very eyes. White light erupted around the woman’s left hand as she held it out, towards a spot between the two of them. A symbol of some sort- like an intricate snowflake- appeared, a mirrored copy three times the size reflecting on the floor. The glyphs began to spin as light filled the center of the larger one, growing bigger and taking shape, until a life sized white Beowolf appeared, with bright blue markings across its muzzle.

The beast regarded her with cool, blue eyes, before turning its head and dropping down to all fours, nuzzling into the Colonel’s hand.

“I can summon any foe I’ve dispatched,” she said, paying the Beowolf little mind, and it seemed rather content with that. “But I  _don’t_ desecrate the dead.”

“Well… that’s a first, for an Atlesian.” Ruby watched the creature, having fought more than her fair share of Beowolves, but finding none of the aggressive posture in this one. Usually, Grimm hunted with a single minded purpose- to find the source of negative emotions and elicit even more, that they might feed. Killing came secondary, and usually the result of a young Grimm trying to get more out of its meal and unintentionally destroying the source. The Alphas and older ones, no, they didn’t often kill, unless it could be used against witnesses… sometimes, she thought the Atlesian military took more after the Grimm than anything else. “Having a pet like that trailing you during battle would probably help.”

“Age, training, and discipline have honed my abilities. They call me the ‘Wolf of Azulen’ because I summoned six score of these and saved the unit stationed there from an embarrassing rout.”

“You must have quite the catalogue of dead enemies to pick from, then.” She shifted her gaze. “But I can promise you this; using me against my sister won’t work as any sort of advantage for  _you_. She’ll be able to tell it isn’t me and it’ll just piss her off worse.” A smirk lifted her lips. “Maybe that ‘embarrassing rout’ will come around anyway. You might want to get used to the idea that your name will go down in history as the one who lost Mistral to one seriously ticked off big sis.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” And then, briefly, she could see something akin to fear in the woman’s eyes.

“You’re arrogant, underestimating-”

“No.” A bit of force in the woman’s voice, a crack in the armor. “I wouldn’t ‘use’ you against your sister.”

Ruby couldn’t help but be surprised at that. “An Atlesian not pressing an advantage? That’s unheard of.”

“You shouldn’t make light of what you don’t understand. I’ve made the mistake already and I  _won’t_ do it again.” The Colonel turned sharply, leaving the summoned Beowolf behind. “Enjoy your new company.”

As the door slammed closed, she frowned, watching the creature as steadily as it watched her.

While she’d  _probably_ managed to achieve her goal in unsettling the woman, now Ruby wondered if, perhaps, there were certain lines not even the Colonel would cross. The plan would work fine under the assumption that the woman could achieve her goals  _no matter_  the cost, but if she held some manner of standards, that would throw a wrench into everything.

Which made the impending arrival of the interrogation squad all the more troubling.

* * *

Winter sat at her desk, a cup of coffee off to the side and the report she’d carried around that morning tossed into a nearby chair. Although she didn’t particularly  _like_ the task before her, she really had no choice in the matter. Reaching over, she hit one of the buttons.

“Sergeant Forecastle.”

“Yes, Ma’am?”

“I’ll utilizing the secured line,” she said, a frown on her lips. “See to it I’m not disturbed.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

With that out of the way, she pulled up the secured line and punched in the proper code.

Now, if her call could go unanswered, that would be splendid, but she didn’t seem to have that sort of luck.

But she did have just enough as a familiar face filled the screen. “Colonel Schnee. It’s been too long.”

“General Ironwood,” she replied, trying to force a smile. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“You shouldn’t equate contacting Atlas Command with being reprimanded, Winter.” He favored her with a smile of his own. As her mentor, he’d always held a bit of a soft spot for her, and she could honestly call the man a better role model than her father ever could be. However, he was her superior first and foremost. “Though, we are curious about the current blackout. You’ve yet to file a justification.”

“I wanted to be sure I have something before troubling Command with it, Sir.” Winter shifted slightly in her seat. “Considering the current state of Remnant, throwing about accusations or making unchecked claims seems… reckless, at best.”

“I remember there was a time when you were  _exactly_ that sort of reckless.” The General clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. “I trust you’ve made headway in verifying whatever it is that prompted the blackout? Or are you waiting for the interrogation team to arrive?”

She’d almost forgotten about that. “I’d like them to verify my results, Sir. Their methods might prove… more illuminating.”

“I trust your judgment.” He looked away and sighed. “However, I’m afraid I’ll need something- vague as it may be- to provide the other Generals. As you’ve said, these are turbulent times, and losing contact with one of our most solid strongholds is more than a little concerning. They won’t accept mere assurances.”

Winter nodded, buying herself a moment to make her decision. “I believe I’ve uncovered the methods by which the resistance here in Mistral is growing. Their motivations and the particular events they’re utilizing to gather more support to their cause. I also believe it’s possible to dismantle their rhetoric, but I’ll need more time for that.”

General Ironwood raised a brow, slightly taken aback by her words. “While I’m genuinely intrigued by how you came by that information I’m not sure if it’s a worthwhile investment of your time.”

“Why not?” Her brows furrowed. “If we can stop the resistance from recruiting new members, it simply becomes a matter of routing the remainder.”

“I don’t discredit the logic, Winter; I simply mean that I don’t think it’ll have the effect you’re hoping for.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “As long as Atlas has ruled, there have been groups trying to undermine the security we provide Remnant. The problem is that you can’t combat illogical ideations with logic. Rebels and the like will crop up, no matter how you trample and remove their excuses to do so.”

“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think that’s an accurate assessment.” Her gaze briefly deviated to the report. “I believe with some adjustments to policy, we could very easily dissuade a large number of people from supporting or joining the forces acting against us.”

“Every policy we have is justified; there’s simply no pleasing everyone.”

“Sir, have you read through the census reports from Mistral over the past five years?” She had, several times, both to try and nail down where the missing children of Taiyang Xiao Long might’ve turned up, and then looking into it further when she began to notice a trend. How she hadn’t seen it before boggled her mind. “The local population of Mistrali is beginning to give way to Atlesians and those of mixed heritage. The vast majority of locals are either joining the resistance or suspected of doing so and being executed.”

“Then it sounds like the problem will take care of itself in another generation or so.”

Winter’s mouth opened but no sound came out as she blinked, turning that sentence over in her head a few times. “Sir… what you’re suggesting is practically genocide.”

“I don’t think that’s an accurate way of looking at it.” He shook his head. “We are just as much part of Remnant as they are; as long as we remain to stand strong, Atlas- and, by consequence, all of Remnant- will continue to march forward, and we’ll drag the territories kicking and screaming with us, no matter how they protest.” A sigh left his lips as he reached up, massaging his temple, just shy of the grey streaks running through otherwise midnight black hair. “I know you’re under a lot of pressure, Winter. Being the commanding officer for a territory is a difficult step in your career, but right now, you need to focus on executing the missions Atlas Command puts before you. Deal with the resistance when they present a problem and put them down, but don’t try to understand them. You’re simply wasting your time.”

For a moment, she just stared at the screen. “Of course, Sir. There… is the matter of a possible traitor on my base.”

His brows furrowed. “That’s a serious claim to make. No Atlesian would dare defy Atlas Command.”

‘And expect to live’ she mentally tacked on, though outwardly she only offered a nod. “I’m not entirely sure where the source of the leak is coming from, but I’ve reason to believe someone is… attempting to undermine our position here, and using our own soldiers to do it. I’m sure the interrogation squad will be able to hunt down the source of this… troublesome flow.”

“Yes, good, see that you put your efforts to solving that immediately. We don’t tolerate spies in our ranks, Colonel.” He sat back. “Finding the leak is a much higher priority than concerning yourself with the cause of the resistance. The interrogation squad will be arriving this afternoon; they’ll be able to assist you in this matter.”

“Yes, Sir. I will lift the blackout and make a full report to Atlas Command as soon as there’s proof of my concerns.”

“Good. Take care, Winter.”

“You as well, Sir.” She ended the call and sat back in her chair, sighing heavily. In the back of her mind, she could feel the connection with her summoned Beowolf- anxious, bored, never a fan of tight spaces. Rose didn’t seem to be provoking it.

However,  _she_  neededto provoke her prisoner a bit more.

* * *

The only thought Ruby really had during the hours between when the guards reluctantly brought her breakfast and when the Colonel returned was that she hoped beyond hope that Ilia didn’t try returning any time soon. Although the beast didn’t breath or move like a living creature would, it reacted to movement and sound, looking at the guards when they came, following their movements even through the wall, snapping its attention to Ruby whenever she shifted. It could be unnerving, at the least, but she couldn’t tell if it had the capacity to recognize friend from foe.

But then it started…  _pacing_ would be the only way to describe it. Restless, moving around the cell in a pattern that seemed to speed up with every pass, and she couldn’t rightly tell what caused it.

Until the Colonel burst into the room, somehow even more stressed than when she’d left. “What’s your plan?”

“Well, I was going to read a book and order a pizza for lunch,” she replied sarcastically, lifting up the chains still binding her wrists. Better to feign ignorance than give away that she had a plan at all. “But I’m tied up at the moment, so-”

“Spare me your smart remarks.” Whatever had gotten under the woman’s skin, it had dug  _deep_ , and the summon began gnashing its teeth as a reflection of her frustration. “If your resistance, by some miracle, manages to displace the Atlesian military presence here in Mistral, what then?”

Ah, so she hadn’t been found out yet. A little bit of relief suffused her being but now she stood at a crossroads. In the woman’s eyes, she could see how hard she searched for something, but couldn’t be certain what, or which response might tip the scales in her favor. Every day she sat in the cell she accomplished nothing for her allies and, without her there with the others, she worried what concern over her might encourage Yang to do. She needed to continue hitting the woman’s buttons, even if it meant playing the bloodthirsty rebel.

“What makes you think we’ll ‘displace’ you?” She lifted her chin defiantly. “We’re not interested in your relocation methods.”

“Then you seek blood.” In a flash of steel, the Colonel drew the sword at her side as the Beowolf growled. “There  _is_ no reasoning with you.”

“See?” She offered a smirk. “Your own methods seem harsh when they’re turned around on you, aren’t they?”

“The Atlesian military attempted to relocate-”

“ _Poorly_ attempted, and when that failed, they turned to executions; don’t split hairs with me about skipping the optional first step to your people’s two step plan.” Ruby rolled her eyes. “This is what I’m talking about. Everything you people do, you’ve already built in a justification by first being unreasonable and refusing to see it. Destroying entire communities because they didn’t suit  _Atlas’_  needs.” Their eyes met, and she could sense that she was getting somewhere, pushing the woman, because the grip on her sword faltered  _just_ a bit. However, something told her that she wasn’t getting any closer to  _her_  goal, which presented a problem. “There were four kingdoms, now there’s five, but Atlas only sees itself as the rightful holder of that distinction. The rest? Second class citizens, or worse.”

“There’s no other way,” the Colonel said, the tip of her sword lowering until it almost touched the ground as her summon fell silent once more. “That’s how things have been and how they’ll stay. How do you  _possibly_  hope to change that?”

She’d have to switch tactics. At this rate, the woman seemed to be  _daring_  her to provide a reason to be taken seriously. So, she’d oblige.

“By fighting. Fighting with everything we’ve got, until we’ve pushed Atlas off Mistral’s shores and reclaimed the kingdom for the people born to it.” A sigh left her lips. “Then, the hard part starts.”

“If you’re trying to insult me-”

“For once, no, I’m not.” Ruby looked up at the ceiling. “Right now, we’re united. Everyone who is sick and tired of what Atlas has done to Mistral- we share a common enemy, but when we win, then that goes out the window. As it is, those of us who’ve earn the resistance’s trust will be seen as the leaders, and we  _might_ be able to hold onto that power long enough to set up some form of government. Mistral used to run on a system of city-states; we could bring that back.” Perhaps she’d let a bit too much of the truth out but, for some reason, she felt like it might actually be working in her favor. The Colonel listened intently, something she seemed to do whenever searching beneath what Ruby said, so perhaps she could be tricked into believing she’d uncovered something else. “But, if something happens to us- if the heads of the resistance somehow get taken out before we can rout Atlas- then the ones who step up to fill those spots might not hold the same ideals we do.”

When she lowered her gaze, she found blue eyes watching her, but they looked away as she paced the length of the room. “What I’m hearing is that killing you could very well destabilize the resistance now.”

“It might.” She held up a finger. “But there’s also my sister to consider. She might be mad enough to destroy every last Atlesian fortification on the continent but she’s not going to be able to use that anger to keep things stable after the fighting stops and I won’t be there to convince her when enough’s enough.” A short chuckle. “You’re banking on her getting her revenge and stopping but she’s the sort of person to  _run_ across the ocean and take the fight to Atlas Command herself, if it means avenging me.”

She only stretched the truth a  _little_. Yang’s temper might be legendary but she could also be calm and level headed when the situation called for it. Yet, she also  _would_ be the sort of person to launch a one woman assault on Atlas Command. It was kinda where Ruby got the idea in the first place.

“That would be a suicide mission.” The Colonel seemed absolutely sure of that.

“At that point, she’s lost everything else. What more could she lose? What’s a life when everything that made it worth living’s been stripped away from you?” She nodded at the woman. “You say you’re a big sister. If one of your siblings was killed, what would you do? Hunt down the people responsible, even if it meant sacrificing your life in the process? Or sit here and send a card for the funeral?”

Then, she had the woman’s attention once more, her pacing halting as she threw a heated glare at Ruby. “I would never be that callous. They would have justice.”

“Good! Then, now, you’re getting it. You understand what lengths she’ll go through and how little she’ll care for the outcome.” Her voice took on a teasing lilt. “It’s only a matter of time before she comes here, looking for me.”

“What of the others?”

“What others?”

“Don’t play coy. The Fox, the Cat, the Dragon- there  _are_ other leaders. How many of you are there?”

Now, she had a chance. “The Dragon is my sister. The others aren’t in Mistral.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean they aren’t  _in_ Mistral?”

“Vacuon rebels engaged Atlesian troops in a full scale battle the day I was captured; a full platoon lost on your side. In Menagerie, the White Fang resurfaced after an extended dormancy period. And, if you haven’t heard from Vale yet, they’ve had a few mishaps at several of their trainyards, disrupting supply lines and putting several of their outposts at risk.” She shrugged. “Unfortunately, I think we’re the only ones who missed our mark. I’m sure Dragon will catch up, once she’s done destroying every building on this base.” She paused, hoping she’d counted the days right. “And, unless I miss my guess, this morning is going to be  _very_ eventful for the troops in Vale. Those near Forever Fall- they were doing a training exercise out there this week, right?” A smirk. “Guess there’s no better training than the real thing.”

“Are you implying that every rebel group working against the Atlas military is connected?” The barefaced confusion splayed across her expression- no one had tried connecting the dots? Really? She didn’t know if that spoke to how well they’d covered their tracks or Atlas’ arrogance. “How?”

“Sorry, Colonel.” She closed her eyes and leaned back. “I’m done talking to you.”

 _That_ should be more than enough reason for her to be turned over to the interrogation squad. Especially if she’d gotten the timing right.

“You little-” The Beowolf growled and lunged, but she remained calm and didn’t even open her eyes as it landed just in front of her. It didn’t touch her, though, and while she could feel it standing over her, the presence disappeared a moment later as the woman made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. “Your mind might change once the interrogation squad arrives.”

“If you’re anything to go by, I have nothing to fear,” she replied, satisfied she’d prodded enough. With the return of the threat, she felt certain she’d tipped the scales back into her favor. Now all she had to do was force the woman’s hand. “Bring them in. At the end of the day, you won’t have  _anything_ to show for it.”

“We’ll see,” she replied, turning to exit again.

Left alone with the summon, Ruby wondered just how long she’d be left to sweat it out before the Colonel’s frustration rose too high. The pressure  _had_ to be pouring on from everything else happening around Remnant; Atlas Command kept too close of tabs on everyone under their thumb to allow for a period of silence to last. Eventually, someone had to break, and it couldn’t be her.

The door opened again, a full squad of Atlesian soldiers with riot shields and armor entering the room, regarding her like a threat while paying the summoned Beowolf no mind.

“On your feet,” one said, his voice gruff and obviously displeased. “Move.”

Well, so much for sweating it out, she thought wryly while complying with the order and mentally preparing herself for the trials ahead.

But twenty minutes later, she found herself in another detention cell just as devoid of anything remarkable as the first, and her cellmate of sorts had followed her during the move.

“What is that woman planning?” She watched the summon but received no answer, though it looked just as anxious as before, pacing the length of her cell mindlessly.

She had half a mind to join it.

* * *

Winter marched through the halls, sparing no one a glance as she made for her office. After instructing the guards on duty to move Rose to a new cell and  _not_ disclose the new location to anyone not guarding that particular section, she’d started for her desk. Not only did she need to make preparations to stall the interrogation team, she had to find a suitable distraction, and that wouldn’t be easy.

“Ma’am.” Sergeant Major Cirrus’ voice caught her attention, her brisk pace slowed so the man could catch up, accepting the scroll he handed her. “We finished questioning those found with contraband. They identified a few soldiers as the sources they bought the goods from.”

“All Atlesians, which we expected…” she slowed to a stop, reading over the information and drawing the connections- why the names seemed quasi familiar “… but isn’t  _that_ odd.”

“Erm… Ma’am?”

She pointed to the right hand side, where the soldiers’ units were displayed. “I find it strange, Sergeant Major, that all of these soldiers are recently returned from night patrols. Is that where they acquired the goods? And did they sell to multiple people to hide who their intended target was?”

“I… suppose that  _is_ peculiar.” He remained silent for a moment before lowering his voice. “Ma’am, permission to speak freely.”

“Granted.”

“Are you accusing one of our own of turning against us?”

The same, grave seriousness she heard in General Ironwood’s voice when she brought up the same idea. So, she opted to push a boundary, just to see the reaction. “I notice some of these soldiers aren’t born of Atlas. They have Atlesian blood but they’ve never been to the homeland, Sergeant Major.”

“Ah, that explains it.” He nodded, apparently accepting that conjecture without a second thought. “I can launch a full investigation into them immediately.”

“Investigate all of them,” she replied, handing the scroll back and not giving away the rolling in her stomach. “Let’s not tip our hand.”

“Of course, Ma’am.” As he left, she reached back through her memories and opted to check his personnel file.

Because, if she recalled correctly, Sergeant Major Cirrus was born in the Mantle Mountain range, just beyond Atlas’ borders. Just as much a territory as Mistral, even if inducted into the fold earlier.

Winter shoved the thoughts from her mind, heading into her office after shouting to Sergeant Forecastle that she’d be on the secured line. Amid all the thoughts pinging around her head, something lurked and preyed on her mind more than the rest, setting her nerves on edge. Only one thing could assuage it.

When the line connected, she was greeted with her sister’s perplexed expression. “Winter? Or is it Colonel this time?”

Her eye twitched. “There’s no reason to be formal. This is a personal call.”

“It’s not my birthday.” Her eyes darted elsewhere. “And it’s not yours-”

“Weiss, please.” A sigh slipped past her lips as she ran a hand over her face. “How are you doing?”

“Fine, I suppose. My assignment in Menagerie has been… somewhat eventful.” A quirk to her lips. “Knowing General Cotta, you already know what I mean.”

“I do.” Sitting forward, she folded her hands and tried to keep the restless energy at bay. “I just wanted to check on you. See… if everything’s going alright.”

Brows pinching together, her younger sister tilted her head slightly. “Winter, is something wrong? I know the report appears to be troubling but we’ve been vigilant. There’s no White Fang activity; it could’ve very easily been an elaborate prank.”

“You’re sure?” The certainty in Rose’s tone, the barest of hints in those silver eyes… Weiss might be an intelligence officer, but things sometimes slipped through the cracks. “You’ve sent out your scouting parties? Double checked the perimeters? Have you determined how those flags got hung in the first place?”

“Winter, slow down.” They, perhaps, weren’t as close as other siblings, not as tightly knit, but she recognized the thread of unease in Weiss’ voice, could hear it plain as day. “Of course we’re taking the threat seriously. The last thing we want is for another rebel group to disrupt our work.”

She sighed, looking away for a brief moment. “Our work… you refer to the mines.”

“The dust deposits  _are_ the reason we’re here.” Weiss recited the official line of Atlas Command- Vale and Vacuo to instill order, Mistral to provide protection, and Menagerie for the vital resources. A reason to continue their work across Remnant. Something to  _believe_ in, something good and necessary. “And they are still operating to full capacity.”

Winter pressed her lips into a thin line. “I suppose that’s good.”

“It’s exactly what Atlas Command asks of us.”

“Do you believe it’s right?”

Weiss blinked, apparently taken off guard by the question. “Is what right?”

“Our missions.” She sat forward, interlacing her fingers. “I’m here to protect the people of Mistral, yet my night patrols engage with more and more people every day- more and more ‘suspected’ resistance fighters who don’t survive the encounter. And I’m forced to ask myself: who am I protecting?” A pause. “Do you ever have thoughts like that?”

Her sister remained silent for a moment, and in her eyes a battle waged, before she hid everything behind a mask. “Of course not. It’s not our fault the people we’re attempting to serve and protect revolt against us. If they simply obeyed, you wouldn’t be pushed to such measures.”

“Indeed.” It should’ve assured her, should’ve calmed the storm of her mind just a little, but instead she just heard the same resolute belief she’d already experienced with the General and Sergeant Major. In her heart… she felt a keen sense of disappointment. “It’s that reminder that keeps me true to the course. But diligence alone won’t protect you, Weiss. You’re aware of that?”

“Of course. I plan on leaving no openings that could be exploited.” Weiss smiled, though it looked a touch forced. “I appreciate your concern, Winter, but I assure you. I will not fall victim to some foolish rebel.”

“Good.” She nodded. “If you are in need of reinforcements, remember that I always keep two rapid deployment units on standby along the south coast.”

“I’ll be sure to brief my command on the resources available to us.” She offered a small smile. “Goodbye.” Winter reached forward to disconnect the call but stopped short. “And… I love you. Even when you’re troubled by heavy thoughts.”

A soft smile curled her lips. “I love you, too. You make me very proud, Weiss. Take care.”

Ending the call, she sat back in her chair and sighed heavily, lifting her gaze to the ceiling.

“I’ve already made my decision, haven’t I?” Nothing answered her, of course, save for the sinking in her chest. Yet, she found herself reaching out to dial another number… and frowning when the line connected. “Whitley… where the hell are you?”

He feigned innocence. “What makes you ask?”

“The fact that it’s  _snowing_ and the only place you could  _possibly_ be at this time of years is up in the mountains, which I distinctly remember you  _not_  being stationed near at all.”

“Am I not allowed to take leave?” He pouted- outright pouted- while snowflakes clung to his hair.

“You were just on leave!” She began to massage her temple, frowning at the screen. “I remember having a long talk with General Ironwood and Colonel Gold over how much leave you’ve taken, in fact.”

“Okay, so, maybe this isn’t so much ‘leave’ as… I’m not going back.”

Winter breathed in deep and let it out slowly. “You…  _what?_ ”

“The military isn’t for me,” he replied, ducking indoors somewhere- given the construction, it looked more like a house or shop than any military building. “You and Weiss are free to walk in Mother’s shadow but I’m rather tired of it all. We still run the mines up here in the mountains, so I thought I’d help Father with overseeing them.”

“So… you just… left.” Reports began flashing through her mind. How many people were hunted down for simply  _walking_  down the street too late at night? And her brother just…  _abandoned_ his post?

“They’ll hardly miss me.” Whitley shrugged, sitting down somewhere as a window with snow clinging to the pane framed him. “And I’m  _much_  happier freezing up in these mountains than I ever was out in those awful forests. Do you have any idea how many forests there are in Vale? The answer is  _too many_.”

She drew a steadying breath. “You’re my brother, so I’m obligated to say I’m pleased that you’re enjoying yourself, but as an officer-”

“Who is  _not_  in my command and can’t do anything anyway?” He smiled at her then, smug. “Report me if you wish but it’ll do little good. I’m sure Mother’s already been informed, and if  _she_  hasn’t come to collect me herself, what outcome are you expecting?”

Her hands curled into fists. Her brother had a point. “I understand if you’re disinclined to continue your service but why not  _at least_  finish out your commitment  _first?_ ”

“Because I don’t want to,” he replied, expression slowly falling. “I suppose it’s a feeling you can’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“None of you understand it- Mother, Weiss, all of you are good at the whole military  _thing_.” He practically spat the last word, dragging a hand down his face. “I never  _wanted_  to join, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter, and now? It doesn’t matter how proficient I am. I could be the best soldier or the worst and my place wouldn’t change one bit.” Then, he gestured behind him. “But here? When I excel,  _I excel_ , and I’m rewarded appropriately.”

She had half a mind to accuse him of something so base at greed but the words caught in her throat. Laziness wouldn’t be tolerated at her level, of course, but the chances of Whitley ever  _reaching_ her rank ran slim, purely because she’d been born first. Just as she’d never reach General until Mother died or retired. It was one of many laws put into place to mitigate certain risks- no chance of professional jealousy if one’s rank was determined by fate- but she’d met her fair share of incompetent officers. And only Atlesians born in Atlas were considered qualified to reach beyond a certain rank anyway.

A method of control, to keep people in their place… to walk in the shadow of those who came before.

“You’re good at it, then?” She kept her voice even despite the tumultuous thoughts rolling through her mind. “Managing the mines?”

“So far, I’ve increased productivity by a fair margin. Father’s impressed.” He sighed. “I’m not sure if that’s very encouraging though. So far, all I’ve done is walk through the mines. Apparently, having a  _real_ Atlesian in the area is required for these lazy workers to actually do their jobs.”

Winter frowned. “Really? You haven’t threatened them in any way?”

“There’s no reason to; they know what awaits them if they fail to meet my expectations.”

That didn’t ease her concerns in the slightest. In fact, it just made some of Rose’s comments echo in the back of her mind. “Are you expectations at least  _reasonable?_ ”

“Of course; I learned from you and Mother, after all.” That set her stomach rolling. She’d always maintained high standards, just as Mother had, but when they weren’t met… she’d always justified the punishments in her mind. However, what she would ask of soldiers and what she would ask of civilians differed and she didn’t believe for a second her brother understood that difference. “We’re on schedule to have these mines closed by the end of the year and the workforces moved to new prospects.”

Her brows pinched together. Admittedly, she’d never paid Father much mind when he talked about the mining business; dust provided an important asset to the military, yes, but they’d won many battles without it.“You’re going to relocate the workforce? Move entire cities?”

“Of course. We don’t need them here; we need them where the dust is.”

“And they’ve agreed to that?”

“Winter.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “You act as if they have a choice.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line. “I suppose that  _is_ rather foolish of me.”

He sat forward, looking genuinely concerned for the first time throughout the conversation. “You’re probably just stressed. It’s not like  _you’ve_  taken leave recently. You should look into it; get some time to clear your head.”

“I’ll consider it.” A sigh slipped past her lips; although not exactly the  _way_  she’d wanted to find out, she had the answer to the question she’d asked Weiss. “Try not to get into trouble, Whitley.”

A scoff. “Good luck to you, too, Winter.”

As the call ended, she passed a hand over her face and slumped in her chair. Checking in on her siblings… she didn’t do it as often as she should, true, but she’d always justified it with the knowledge that they understood the demands of her position. If they needed anything, they could easily call her- she’d never denied a message from them, no matter the form- and she would move mountains if necessary to help them out.

But they were all products of Atlas, of the military, and under the thumb of Atlas Command. For anyone of lesser status, abandoning one’s post would be grounds for a  _severe_ punishment. Yet, she understood rather well that Whitley would face no repercussions. Born of Atlas, for him to face any sort of consequence would first require something a bit more serious than dereliction of duty, especially if Mother waved a hand and had him ‘reassigned’ to some fictional position to cover his absence.

Confronted with this reality alongside the eagerness of Sergeant Major Cirrus to ferret out the non-Atlas born weak link and General Ironwood’s grave interest in a possible traitor, she found it nigh impossible to justify the clear classism. She couldn’t even explain the flippant way Whitley spoke of the mine workers, how they were  _expected_  to do as told, and she didn’t doubt they’d be killed for any failure to comply. They were likely working themselves to the bone not out of a previously held lack of effort on their part but simply motivated by the knowledge that Whitley could order any one of them killed for little to no reason and it would never be questioned.

Reaching over to the console, she typed out a message to Mother, informing her of the situation. Not that it would change anything- if it wasn’t swept under the rug already, it would be after this- but because it was what she would be  _expected_  to do, as both the eldest sibling and a higher ranking officer. Mother charged her with keeping tabs on Weiss and Whitley decades ago; remaining silent when she full well knew the woman would find out eventually would simply draw more suspicion to her.

And she didn’t need any more, even as she sent the message and dialed another number.

“Colonel Schnee.” A man answered, his expression twisted and face flushed. “I’m afraid I don’t have the time to track down your brother if he’s not answering his scroll.”

“I’ve already spoken with him, Colonel Gold,” she replied, frowning as the sounds of several voices droned on in the background, some panicked. “He’s abandoned his post; he’s up in the mountains overseeing our family mines.”

A small amount of relief washed over the man. “With respect,  _good_. I don’t need his antics on top of everything else right now.”

“Anything I can assist with, Sir?”

“No, we’re already mobilizing a full brigade to go investigate.” That… was  _a lot_  of soldiers. “One of our units was training in Forever Fall when we lost contact with them. Their last communication indicated some manner of attack.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “It’s probably some fool Valen’s idea of a prank. I’m sure it’s nothing but I don’t tolerate such blatant disregard for training protocol.”

She raised a brow, slightly confused. “Training protocol?”

“We sent an augmentation force with the unit to act as an opposing force- a bit of force on force training is good for morale, you know.” He waved a hand. “But knowing these blasted vermin, they cut the comm lines like an actual enemy would, and there’ll be hell to pay when I find out who had  _that_ bright idea.”

In that moment, Winter thought about warning him that it might not be a simple training mishap. That those soldiers might be marching into an ambush. “I’m… sure the culprit will be revealed when a fully armed brigade arrives looking for them.”

“Fully armed?” Colonel Gold scoffed and shook his head. “I’m not wasting time outfitting an entire brigade. They’re rolling out with the bare minimum; I need them there  _quickly_  to put an end to this fiasco.” A light chuckle. “Though I  _would_  rather like to see the looks on their faces when the brigade arrives.”

“Have you considered it might  _not_  be a training accident?”

All mirth fled him at that moment. “Listen here, Schnee. I understand Mistral and Vacuo has its share of rebel scum, but you’re seeing shadows where there are none. We pacified Vale years ago; there’s simply no way the local populace could stage anything close to an attack. Even then, they’re just Valens. We’ll simply burn whatever village they came from to the ground,  _if_  it comes to that, which it won’t.”

“My apologies, Sir,” she said. “Perhaps you’re right.”

He nodded. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an augmentation force to reprimand.”

When the screen faded, Winter had to face a harsh truth.

She’d just willingly withheld vital information that could lead to the deaths of several Atlesian soldiers… and as conflicted as she felt about that, she rightly  _shouldn’t_ \- it should’ve been the most clear cut decision, and she’d made the wrong one.

Yet… she found herself thinking about a little island village destroyed by Atlesian troops. The cost of that ‘pacification’. And the futility of it.

Standing, she walked around her desk, intending to visit Rose, but the moment she opened her office door, she was confronted with an unfamiliar sight.

“Ah, Colonel Schnee. Just who I wanted to see.” A shock of orange hair poked out from beneath a black bowler, green eyes that seemed a touch too friendly, and a white coat in the Atlesian style but lacking any rank identification, instead bearing a mark representing Atlas Command- someone she’d never met but could recognize instantly and her blood ran cold. “You are the one who requested an interrogation squad, right?”


	4. Pelted Stems

Winter sat behind her desk, back ramrod straight and hand folded neatly atop the surface. Notifications lit up the display but she didn’t dare attend to them yet, her whole focus dedicated to the man seated in front of her, his gaze wandering around her office lazily. She’d never called in an interrogation squad before- never had cause- but she had the protocol memorized.

Following through with every step, however… that gave her pause.

“Listen, Colonel,” he said, sounding far too bored now that the pleasantries were over. “I’m not typically one to tell a fine, upstanding officer how to do their job, but there  _are_ other requests for my team’s… unique skill set around Remnant. If you no longer have need of us-”

“Do not presume to understand my mission priorities, Sir.” She bristled, calling upon years of being at the top of one food chain or another to stare him down with a severe frown on her lips. Dealing with anyone outside the established rank structure chaffed at her, made the simple unquestioned authority she usually wielded entirely powerless, and someone on the verge of that even more so, because she absolutely  _detested_ gray areas. “I have plenty of uses for your skills. Determining where to ply them is  _my_  prerogative, not yours.”

He spread his hands, an easy smile on his lips. Section Chief Roman Torchwick lived up to his reputation- a nigh unflappable man with a constant smirk on his lips, always amused with some private joke. “Apologies, Colonel, but perhaps if I had a bit more information, I could provide my insights.”

Some part of her recognized that, if she simply turned Rose over to the interrogation squad, all her problems and doubts would disappear. The… disturbing revelations regarding the double standards and privileged lives Atlesians lived compared to the… subjugated section of the population… she could push that from her mind. The death reports, the night patrols, the potential rebellions on the horizon- she would return to simply crushing any defiance she met.

But another, larger part of her had to know just how deep the rabbit hole went.

“I have suspicions that there’s a traitor in my ranks,” she said, turning to pull a scroll from the top drawer of her desk, loading up the names the Sergeant Major had already recorded as those being detained, alongside Sergeant Winchester’s squad. “This is my list of suspects that I’ve managed to find. I’d like them questioned further.”

With a hum, he reached across and accepted it, flicking through the list and raising his brows. “My, my, that’s quite a few. My team will be very busy.” Winter kept her expression smooth, hiding the wave of unease prompted by the way he almost  _purred_ those words. “Odd. I don’t see any Faunus on this list.”

“They aren’t the ones I’m looking for- perhaps they are the streams but I want the river’s  _source_.”

“Very well.” A sigh left his lips. “Depending on how troublesome they’re being, this may take until tomorrow. I’ll be sure to keep you updated.” Standing up, he tipped his hat. “Good day, Colonel. And, if you’re interested in watching my team work, you’re welcomed to come witness our talents firsthand.” A sick smile played across his lips. “They do rather enjoy putting on a show.”

“I’ll keep it in mind but I have my duties to attend, first and foremost.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Sergeant Major Cirrus will be monitoring your progress in my absence.”

Torchwick left, giving her a renewed chance to go visit Rose, but she refrained. With strangers now within her walls, every minute ran the risk of being discovered, and she could only hope their reputation alone would keep her nosy soldiers away. That didn’t mean she couldn’t take precautions, of course, having already sent off a message to Sergeant Major Cirrus to provide the interrogation squad with his support and to keep them from mingling with the rank and file. She’d also explicitly instructed him not to mention Rose’s presence and to keep that information under lock and key, under the guise that she didn’t trust the interrogation squad to handle the resistance fighter until she could verify for herself that they would do their jobs. Plus, she still had the idea of a traitor in the ranks running through the man’s head, and that proved to be a powerful motivator.

Winter got to her feet and turned towards the window behind her desk, looking over the cityscape beyond. Now, instead of marveling the union between Atlesian and Mistrali architecture, she found her attention drawn to the covered up scars that littered the city. Roofs and walls patched from where Atlesian mortar rounds broke through, brand new buildings because the ones that had once stood there were burned down or destroyed, the green fields beyond that showed clear signs of where dust had scorched or froze the ground, and half a hundred more that stood out to the discerning eye.

She’d studied the Pacification War extensively throughout her career, focusing heavily on the Atlesian occupation of Mistral. Although allies during the war, Atlas Command determined that their neighbors needed further guidance to prevent them from going down the same path as Vale and Vacuo. Mistral resisted at first but, while they’d embraced peace wholeheartedly, Atlas hadn’t. Their war machine never stopped and the advanced dust weapons gave the Atlesian troops the edge.

Of course, they also marched into the kingdom with no concern for the environment or the standing structured, leaving almost nothing in their wake until they’d reached here, the capitol. A two hundred day siege followed, where their predecessors starved out the Mistrali defense.

At the time of learning those details, it seemed like sound military strategy. All of Remnant needed to be under Atlas’ rule if they were to prosper, that seemed to go without saying… however, now she wondered, because what curious wording, that. Because who was ‘they’ in this instance? Had Mistral’s people prospered since being invaded? She’d seen no evidence of that; Mistral seemed to be at least a decade behind the technology that existed in Atlas, save for the military. Even then, they often had to get mechanical support from Atlas, due to a lack of local parts and expertise. And the protection she supposedly offered? She certainly wasn’t protecting the local populace; she’d seen the numbers herself.

So… what were they even doing here?

“Colonel?” She blinked, turning her head to see Sergeant Forecastle stepping into her officer. “General Cotta is calling on the secure line.”

“I’ll talk to them.” She needed to bide her time and this would help distract her, reclaiming her seat and opening the line as he stepped back out. “Good afternoon, General.”

“Ah, so the interrogation squad’s arrived.” They smirked slightly. “You’re always so ill at ease when visitors are over.”

Her eye twitched. “Did you have something to talk about or are you just trying to vex me?”

“A little of both, frankly.” Terry frowned slightly. “Atlas Command has made their decision. I’ll be returning to your location as soon as possible. When I arrive, we’ll need to speak- privately. I’m to brief you on orders directly from Atlas Command.”

Concern nipped at her heart. This deviated from standard protocol greatly. “This sounds rather serious, old friend.”

“I believe part of it is General Ironwood being cautious, given your current situation.” Their expression… usually, Terry wore a quiet little smile or showed their emotions plainly. Now, they seemed too grave, too serious, and that almost always meant whatever thought lurked behind their eyes would rob them of sleep. Winter always dreaded the things that could unsettle her friend. “Soon, the official orders will be published and everyone will know, but you should hear it first.”

“I can’t say I’m looking forward to this conversation, Terry.”

“Frankly, neither am I.” They sighed, looking away briefly. “I’ll be there tomorrow. Begin the preparations to mobilize your entire fighting force. Atlas Command wants to move swiftly once we’ve spoken.”

“I’ll see to it at once,” she replied, ending the communication and propping her elbows on her desk, putting her face into her hands.

Could anything else  _possibly_ be piled on at this point?

A knock at her door disturbed her, and she certainly didn’t like what it could herald. “Come in.”

“Colonel, I have a report from the night patrols.” Sergeant Forecastle strode into the room, followed closely by Lieutenant DeLeon. “I think you should review it immediately.”

“I’ll wait,” the Lieutenant said, obviously displeased but trying to keep a handle on her barely restrained fury and stepping aside while Sergeant Forecastle approached.

Winter accepted the scroll handed to her and frowned at the… startling lack of information displayed. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Night patrols across the territory report a significant decrease in local activity. In some cases, entire towns have… just disappeared, without a trace.” Light blue eyes reflected the fear he just barely kept out of his tone. “Permission to speak freely.”

“Granted.”

“I believe this is indication that the resistance may be mobilizing against us.” He didn’t say the words, of course, but she could see the way his gaze flicked to the Lieutenant, referencing Rose’s presence in their detention cells. “By estimates, their numbers are easily in the hundreds, if not the thousands.”

Winter sat back in her chair. On top of everything else, an impending attack. A light blinking on her desk caught her attention and she pulled out her scroll to read the high priority message being sent over the secured line- text only. An urgent request for all available, nearby forces to prepare for mobilization in support of their troops in Vale, near Forever Fall. An explicit addendum to come fully armed. The first domino to fall.

She collapsed the scroll and tucked it into her pocket. “Have you anything regarding this matter, Lieutenant?”

“No, Colonel.” A fair amount of contempt threaded through her voice as she stepped forward, calling attention to the dark circles beneath deep chestnut eyes and the disheveled locks of midnight black hair sticking every which way. She’d certainly kept the woman busy with her new duties. “All  _I_  have is a fair few questions about why the prisoner I was assigned to guard was moved cells without notification.”

“I believe I assigned you to the whole cell block, ergo, until I move her from there, your childish display is unwarranted.” She snapped back, not in the mood for insubordination at such a time. “On top of that, were you to be familiar with our protocols regarding high value targets being held, you’d well know that a cell move would be mandatory every twenty four hours at most to prevent any chance of escape.” Gaining her feet, she met the Lieutenant’s gaze evenly, noting how she didn’t back down in the slightest despite being called out for a failure to follow protocol. “If I’d known this assignment would be too much for you, I’d have chosen someone else.”

“With respect, I didn’t want to risk a cell move while we have  _an eighth_  of our core force currently being detained for one reason or another.”

Winter set her jaw. Perhaps this would provide her just the excuse she needed and she’d be loathe to miss capitalizing on the good fortune. “Lieutenant, consider your points heard and your wild exaggerations noted. Effective immediately, you’re pulled from the detail.” Striding around her desk, she pointed back at the chair. “Your new place of duty is right there. I want you to comb through the reports Sergeant Forecastle amassed and all reports for the past week; by the time I get back, I want a full brief on possible troop movements.” She started for the door. “Those locals didn’t just  _disappear_ , they went somewhere, and the sooner we discover where they are, the better prepared we’ll be when the assault comes. Am I clear?”

“Colonel, be reasonable!” Lieutenant DeLeon raised her voice, obviously pushed to her breaking point. “Asking for notification shouldn’t be a punishable offense!”

Before leaving the office, she stopped, turning back to face the furious officer and slightly perplexed Sergeant. “Notification. You believe that’s what this is about?”

“What else  _could_ it be about?” DeLeon took a step forward but Sergeant Forecastle immediately moved forward, grabbing onto her forearm and preventing her from closing the distance entirely. It did nothing to quell the fury in her expression, though. “I ask for clarification, I get punished. Now, all I’m asking for is notification- no questions asked- and I get punished again! What’s it going to take to survive in this command, Colonel?”

In that moment, all the pieces clicked into place. There could  _be_ no right answer. Not in their world.

Punishments handed out for anything except unquestioned loyalty and obedience, stifling a person until they could do nothing else, and blaming those who dared step a toe out of line for their own fates. Rose had accused her and Atlas Command of bringing such terrible things upon Remnant but she’d denied it, dismissed it as the futile efforts of the Resistance to discredit them… but if they were guilty of every crime levied against them- which seemed more and more likely to be the case- how much blood stained her hands?

She’d come to Mistral with the intention of protecting the people… but she’d not been sent there for that. Until this moment, it didn’t occur to her that there could be an ulterior motive for their presence but here it sat, staring her in the face.

Control. Power. Conquest. And  _nothing_ benevolent.

“You’re right,” she said, and the surprise and shock that registered on both subordinates’ faces spoke volumes. “The only way you’ll survive is to pick an ideal and dedicate yourself to it, Lieutenant. It may be impossible to reach but perhaps that is the purpose. It means you don’t grow complacent.” She turned back to the door and opened it. “Attend to the task or not; I rightly don’t care.”

With that, she swept out of the room, only to find Section Chief Torchwick striding down the hall, looking a bit too pleased considering the Sergeant Major just a step behind, an ashen pale to his expression. “Ah, Colonel, just wanted to provide you with an update.”

“It’s hardly been an hour,” she replied, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

“Yes, well, what can I say? My team moves quickly and they rather enjoy their work.” He chuckled, stopping in front of her and resting both hands on the cane he carried, though it seemed to be entirely for decoration considering the consistency of his gait. “We’ve already interrogated five of the names supplied to us. We’ve found a lot of cute little details about various regulation infractions, but no traitor as of yet. Frankly, our reputation is doing half the work for us. We should be finished by tomorrow.”

“Very well. Sergeant Major, see to it that those who’ve been interrogated are returned to duty.”

With a slow shake to his head, he spoke in a voice that seemed absolutely haunted. “Ma’am… I can’t do that.”

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “And why not?”

“Ah, yes, that… does pertain to why this update comes so soon.” Torchwick chuckled, glancing at Cirrus for a moment before shrugging. “It seems the Sergeant Major isn’t fully briefed on the extent of our… interrogation methods. You see, there’s an old saying that was coined back in the days before the Pacification: dead men tell no tales. Now,  _I_  have found that it’s quite true, but a  _dying_ man will tell you whatever knowledge he might possess.”

Winter frowned. “And what keeps that dying man from not being able to reveal his knowledge in the future?”

“I’m afraid there  _is_ no future for a dying man.” A careless wave of his hand. “Trust is a fickle thing, Colonel. Once it’s broken, it’s almost impossible to get back. Might as well burn the bridge and build anew; we’ve certainly no shortage of soldiers and populations to draw them from.” He tapped a finger against his bowler, snatching up his cane and making to return the way he’d come. “Which reminds me; you should submit your request for replacement bullet sponges now, if you haven’t already done so. Makes the transition a bit smoother. Oh, and a mass grave. We’ve still got quite a few bodies to go through.”

A numbness spread through her limbs, only years of practiced discipline keeping her from shaking. She’d never intended to sentence those detained to death. Had General Ironwood suspected this outcome? Why hadn’t he warned her?

“Colonel.” Sergeant Major Cirrus leaned close, lowering his voice to a soft rumble. “Sergeant Winchester is on that list.”

With that, he turned to continue following his charge, and she realized the simple, inevitable outcome. The interrogation squad would learn about Rose one way or another, and when they did, her warnings about what her sister might do would come true. A war, no matter how one sided, would erupt, and countless more would perish in the crossfire.

And all that blood would be  _squarely_ on her soul.

Her feet started moving before her mind caught up with the actions. She couldn’t stop the coming war… but she  _could_  at least provide people with a chance for something different.

* * *

Ruby felt more unnerved by the erratic motions of the summon than anything else she’d experienced since being ‘captured’ by the Atlesian military. The pacing started and stopped in fits, its teeth gnashing, head snapping back and forth as if reacting to some terrible, unseen enemy, and she hated how much it got to her. Mainly, because she didn’t  _understand_ it. Was this intentional on the Colonel’s part, a means of psychological torment?

Because she  _really_  hated how well it was working.

Then, all too suddenly, the creature came to a dead stop. Part of it seemed to flake off, flecks of white light dispersing into nothingness as its form became less solid, less stable. Then, it just… laid down, just like a dog would, and slowly faded into nothingness.

“What the hell…” Her brows furrowed, unable to parse why the Colonel would have her moved rooms, leave her locked up with the glowing white beowolf, and then just… let it die in perhaps the most pitiful fashion- the previous erratic behavior had worn on her nerves something awful, true, but this almost made her feel sorry for the thing.

But it also had to  _mean_ something.

Although it strained her hearing, she could make out the vague conversations just beyond her door between the guards, and gleaned that sometime since the Colonel visited her that morning, the interrogation squad had arrived. Which  _should_ mean the next phase of the plan would be going into motion soon. Perhaps they’d suggested the Colonel remove any distractions prior to their grand entrance. Or the woman just didn’t see the point in continuing her attempts.

Regardless, she expected the door to swing open, and it did some time later.

But Ruby didn’t expect to see the Colonel striding through.

“I thought I made myself clear last time,” she said, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, as dismissive as she could be in chains. “Save your breath.”

No response came but she heard the woman coming closer, until she was perhaps just beyond arms’ reach, and braced herself for the strike she assumed would be coming. After all, Atlesians favored brute force when ‘pleasantries’ failed. Yet, it never came, and instead she heard shuffling that sounded an awful lot like someone kneeling down in front of her.

Curiosity won out and she opened her eyes to find… exactly that. The Colonel, knelt before her, hands curled into fists on her thighs and head bowed. She looked… almost broken, in a way, with the sag to her shoulders.

Her brows furrowed, unable to hold the question back. “What’s gotten into you?”

“You’ve accused me of many things and I stand guilty of them all.” When she looked up, Ruby could see it- the fear that had always lurked in those eyes replaced with a grim sort of sorrow and despair. Kneeling before her was not the commanding officer in a military regime opposed to even the smallest liberties; this was a woman who’d believed in something greater than herself, and watched as it was torn down before her very eyes to reveal a sham. “Innocent people are dead because of me and many more will die.” Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a key that would likely release Ruby from her bonds. “At least, this way, Mistral stands a chance-”

“What!” Pulling her wrists out of reach, she scowled at the Colonel. “Of all the times you could’ve picked to grow a conscience, you picked  _now_? Why?”

She would’ve expected a heated response or a cold retort, much like their previous conversations. This time, all she earned was the same broken look. “You said it yourself. Without you, Mistral could devolve into a power vacuum. At least with you out there, this territory… this  _kingdom_ stands a chance.” Her lips pulled into a frown. “Perhaps you can accomplish what I failed to and protect the people here.”

“You’re actually encouraging me to go to war to Atlas.” She reached up, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. “As far as interrogation techniques go, this is a new one. Not sure what you’re trying to accomplish with it.”

The woman winced; apparently, she’d touched on a sore spot without even trying.

“The interrogation squad arrived; as of right now, at least five soldiers are dead by their hands. One way or another, they’ll learn of your location, and they’ll come for you as well.” She sighed. “You’ve already made it clear what will happen upon your death and I’ve seen the reports indicating a massive relocation of your forces. I also confirmed your story in Vale; a full brigade likely marched into an ambush. War is coming to Remnant and, when the smoke clears, I believe it’ll be better for the people if you’re still alive at the end of it.”

Resignated. Lost. Utterly destroyed. She’d never thought those words could apply to the woman known as the Wolf of Azulen but neither could she discount what she could see with her own eyes.

A part of her- that sounded suspiciously like Yang- warned her against trusting the display, but thinking back over every interaction they had, she could admit one thing: the Colonel didn’t lie. She truly believed every word that fell from her lips, every defense, every justification, she put her faith in them without question.

Now that she’d realized the truth, she had nothing.

“Is there  _any_ chance the interrogation squad will take me to Atlas Command?”

“No.” The Colonel shook her head, slowly. “Atlas Command already told me they aren’t interested in your motives or even the intelligence you possess. They’ll expect the interrogation squad to extract the information here and wash their hands of you.”

“So, what are you planning to do? Just release me? Hope I survive the coming war?”

“You survived this long.”

“And what will happen to you?”

It shouldn’t concern her. With her mission compromised, she didn’t plan on sticking around, and whether the Colonel released her or she broke out like she originally planned shouldn’t matter. They were enemies and even a realization at this point didn’t wash the blood from her hands.

However… Ruby had long suffered a peculiar affliction that almost guarantee she would be hard pressed to win this war. She believed in both hope and mercy.

“I’ll be labelled a traitor and summarily executed.” A dark, mirthless chuckle. “Irony at its finest.”

“How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

“You don’t and you have no reason to trust me.” Another shrug. “But all the faults of this world would work in your favor. I can walk you straight to the front gate without anyone stopping me, purely because of my rank, my heritage, and my blood. Only Atlas Command can hold me accountable and they’ll be far too late to stop me.”

Pressing her lips into a thin line, she decided to take a gamble, seeing as it got her this far. “As long as Atlas Command stands, all of Remnant is at risk. How do I stop them? How do I bring them down?”

For a moment, silence, a dead stare meeting her gaze with no indication of any conscious thought.

And then, a spark. “The Rehabilitation Facility.”

“The what?”

“It’s a top secret facility on the coast of Atlas.” The Colonel reached into her pocket and pulled out a scroll, opening it up and tapping away. “The general population doesn’t know about it; only officers with command authority know it even exists. It’s a blind spot in all of Atlas’ visual security; everything is kept in house.”

“What goes on there?”

“Officially, it’s for the purposes of reprimanding soldiers who cause problems within the ranks or profess doubt in their mission.”

Her brows furrowed. “And unofficially?”

“I don’t know.” A slow shake of her head as she turned her scroll around, displaying a map of the Atlesian coast, somewhere along the southern beaches. “If it was for that purpose, those soldiers this morning would be on their way there. Now that I think on it, I’ve never sent a soldier to the Rehabilitation Facility and had them return. I don’t  _know_ what’s actually being done there, but I know it’s the weak point in our defenses. There’s a train line that runs directly from the facility to Atlas Command, and it’s the only access that’s relatively unguarded.”

“What about an aerial attack?”

“Impossible; the Rehabilitation Facility is built into the cliffside and underground and Atlas Command is entrenched amidst Atlas’ finest defenses.”

With a nod, Ruby flipped the scroll over and slid the back plate out, using her fingernail to pull the location transponder from its port. Turning it back over, she noted that the map program no longer read with current coordinates, and she immediately started digging through to find a secondary transponder. Having her hands handcuffed throughout the process made it a bit tricky but she pushed the thought from her mind; she didn’t want the bonds off  _just_ yet, as another plan formed in her mind.

“I’m taking this with me, by the way.” She looked up, having combed through as much of the scroll’s interior workings as she could. “I  _will_ deactivate it, though, in case you think this’ll lead you to us.”

“You probably shouldn’t; it’s on the CCT network and receives high priority messages from Atlas Command, as well as other command posts across Remnant.”

“And you’re just giving this to me?” Ruby raised a brow. “You’re just  _giving up?_ ”

“Everything I tried to accomplish in this life, I failed. I believed myself a protector of people, a leader, and all I’ve done is allow for the murder of innocents.” In that moment, she could see the last of the Colonel’s pride crumble, crushed by the truth in her words. Somehow, some way, in the time between their conversations, the woman’s entire world came falling down around her, and she’d well and truly broken. Raven would call this a moment of mercy, where killing a person would be the kinder path to letting them live and wallow in their own misery. Yang didn’t always believe that, though; she would whisper softly, whenever the woman had left, that Mom would say that mercy doesn’t kill- it heals, and only what can’t be healed should be killed. “I supported a lie and paid the price for it in the blood of others. What else  _can_  I do?”

“You fight,” she replied, straightening up. “You resist with everything you have. This, here?” She held up the scroll. “This is a way to fight back, to reclaim your life, your mission. You want to protect people? There’s still people who  _need_ that protection.”

For a moment, she saw a flicker of the Colonel return, her expression pinching into one of annoyance. “I can’t redeem myself, not from all I’ve done.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t  _try_.” She gestured to the door. “Do you think letting them kill you will somehow improve  _anything_  here? When we strike down Atlas Command, who’s going to be in charge here? Do you think they’ll just give up, tell everyone to pack their bags, go back to Atlas quietly? There’s going to be a power vacuum one way or another, no matter which side wins, and you’ve already mentioned your rank, your blood carries weight. Why not throw it around to  _actually_ protect people?” She tilted her chin up. “You’re the Wolf of Azulen. You threw yourself into impossible odds to protect the wounded. Maybe you weren’t fighting on the right side… but you  _were_ fighting for the right reason.”

The woman blinked, looking away for a moment. “Then that leaves the matter of how you’re getting out of here.”

“Leave that to me.” She smirked, tucking the scroll away in her belt for the moment. “I’m Ruby Rose, daughter of two rebels who died rather than allow themselves to be captured. You really thought I  _wasn’t_ here by choice?” Leaning back against the wall, she lolled her head to the side, completely at ease. “Breaking out was never a problem; I was just looking for a way into Atlas Command.”

“In that case, your mission’s accomplished.” Pushing herself to her feet, the Colonel watched her for a moment. “Anything specific I should do to make things easier?”

A hum. “You don’t sound too fond of the interrogation squad.”

 _That_ touched a nerve, a dark shadow crossing over her expression. “I’m not.”

“Send them in here.” Ruby nodded, chuckling quietly. “And pull your troops back from the hallway. The ones you want to keep, anyway.”

“Very well.” Skepticism threaded through the words but it looked very much like her requests would be met.

Despite the urge to ask for Ilia to stop by- because warning Yang ahead of time that she’d be changing their plan would be ideal, of course- Ruby couldn’t just take the Colonel at her word, not yet.

“Oh, one more thing?” The woman turned back. “Can I have my mask back?”

“Of course.”

But she did have hope. An ally like that could make the rebuilding process  _much_ easier. It could even make the initial strike easier.

Time would tell.

* * *

Winter swept through the halls with a renewed vigor, solely focused on her single goal: send the interrogation squad into Rose’s cell. With the loss of all else, she could appreciate having something so simple at hand, something she could accomplish.

However, fate seemed to conspire against her.

“Colonel! Ma’am!”

Winter tried not to let her exasperation show as she turned, allowing Lieutenant DeLeon to catch up. “What is it, Lieutenant?”

“Ma’am, you need to get down to the west detention cells.”

While she’d been headed that way, the urgency in the Lt’s voice concerned her, a frown touching her lips. “What’s the problem?”

“One of the guards sent me an urgent message; something’s happened with the Sergeant Major.”

Now, with an official reason to hurry, she picked up the pace with her subordinate trailing after, people jumping out of their way without hesitation until they’d reached the wing in question. The first thing she noticed was the stench- blood, bodily fluids, and just the beginning hints of decay- and it made her stomach churn as she passed several guards, their faces pale and trembling with fear.

They turned the corner and found the members of the interrogation squad standing around while their Chief crouched over Sergeant Major Cirrus’ motionless form.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Blood stained his uniform and the gash across his throat eliminated any doubt he might’ve survived. She’d like to think it would be easy to identify who delivered the blow, but every single member of the squad had blood all over their hands and clothes, all except Torchwick, who still had that sick little smile on his lips.

“Apologies for the mess, Colonel, but I’m afraid your Sergeant Major wasn’t the most accommodating for my team.” He shrugged, nonchalant while pushing at the man’s body with the toe of his boot. “I’m afraid he learned the hard way that Atlas Command only entrusts the most skilled with our particular occupation and that questioning our methods isn’t… advised.”

In that moment, fury coursed through her, absolute rage, and her vision turned red as Rose’s words rebounded in her skull. Protect people, her single goal, and here she’d failed again.

But this would be the last as an eerie calm settled over her shoulders, the anger turning to ice in her veins.

“I’ll admit I doubted your skills but now I see I was wrong to do so,” she said, holding up a hand to stifle DeLeon’s attempts to speak. “Now, I feel comfortable revealing the true purpose for calling you here.”

“Oh?” Torchwick raised a brow, exchanging a glance with a woman who seemed to be his second in command, mismatched eyes portraying nothing but mirth as she wiped blood from her blade. “Go on.”

“We captured the leader of the resistance here in Mistral, the one known as Rose.” She clasped her hands behind her back, straightening her posture and looking at them with nothing but cool indifference in her tone. “I trust you’ll be able to extract their base of operations from her.”

“With ease.”

“Good.” She turned her head. “Lieutenant DeLeon, show the interrogation squad to the cell and report back to me.” Her gaze fell on the Sergeant Major’s motionless body. “And pull every one of our soldiers from the cell block. I would hate for another to make the Sergeant Major’s mistake.”

“Ma’am-”

“That’s an order, Lieutenant. Report to my office when your mission is complete.”

“… yes, Ma’am.” Begrudgingly, DeLeon nodded. “This way.”

“Take this with you.” She offered up the half mask she’d confiscated upon Rose’s arrival in her custody. “I believe it holds some manner of significance to her.”

Torchwick plucked it from her fingers, making a thoughtful noise before nodding for his cronies to follow.

Winter watched as the squad followed their chief, a certain, manic gleam flashing in their eyes. When they were gone, she walked over and knelt down beside Cirrus, reaching out to close his eyes- frozen open in clear shock at his final moments.

“You’re not the one who made a mistake,” she said, softly, her heart growing heavier. “I’m sorry.”

More blood on her hands… and she didn’t expect it to be the last.

* * *

The tromping of boots as guards all over the wing found the nearest exists tipped her off and she closed her eyes, beginning to focus her energy. She wouldn’t want to waste any time once the squad arrived; better not to give them a chance to pull a fast one on her.

Her lips curled into a smile. She  _must_ be missing her sister again something awful to start making her own puns.

By the time the door to her cell opened, Ruby could feel the strength and power pouring through every single fiber of her being, but contained at the moment.

Just barely.

“So, this is the famous Rose?” A man’s voice, one she hadn’t heard out in the hallway before, sounded absolutely  _giddy_ with amusement and pleasure. “Chains are a good look for you but I think we’ll be relieving you of them shortly. After all, can’t play with a toy while it’s still all wrapped up, am I right?”

As she heard people approaching, her eyes snapped open, silver light pouring out. A few seconds ticked by, long enough for her to register the surprise on their faces.

Then, she stopped holding back.

* * *

Winter signed off on the paperwork to have all the soldiers in the west detention cells released back to their respective units, with a week of quarters to recover. Even those who hadn’t been subjected to the interrogation squad’s methods needed the time to recuperate. The bodies of those killed during the process were moved in preparation for transport; she’d filed false reports that they’d died during a skirmish with resistance fighters, so those eligible would be given the full benefits and honors.

It didn’t escape her notice that Sergeant Major Rudy Cirrus, despite his years of service, would qualify for hardly anything due to being Mantle born as opposed to pure Atlesian.

How had she been so blind for so long?

“Ma’am?” She turned her head, acknowledging the frustrated Lieutenant. “Mission complete. The interrogation squad is with Rose now.”

“And our people?”

“All have been sent back to their unit areas.”

“Good.” She nodded, watching through the windows that faced the south wing. “You’ve done your due diligence. For the next week, you’re on leave.”

“Permission to speak freely?”

“I’ve yet to revoke it.”

“Go fuck yourself, Ma’am.” She blinked, turning her head to see a furious Lt glaring at her. “No one had to die today. Bringing those bastards here was a mistake, I don’t care if it was following protocol-”

“But do you know what would happened if I disagree with your assessment?” The words stopped the woman’s tirade in its tracks.

“I’d be killed. Traitorous insurrection.” She adjusted her collar but the steel in her voice remained. “Not the first time I’ve been told that, Ma’am.”

“For all our sakes, I hope it’s the last you hear it.” Her gaze returned to the south wing. “You shouldn’t face the threat of death for speaking the truth.”

“… uh.” A beat of silence. “Did… what?”

“I didn’t anticipate this outcome, Lieutenant, nor did I want it.” Her hands curled into fists at the small of her back. “I expected the interrogation squad to extract the information I sought, not murder their subjects. That doesn’t absolve me of their deaths, though, and you’re right to hold me accountable.”

When the silence stretched on too long, she turned her head to see the Lieutenant watching her with… pity, if she had to put a word to it. “You really didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“No, I didn’t.” She turned her head back, staring through the window and hoping for…  _something_. A sign, perhaps, as foolish as it seemed. “Choose an ideal, Lieutenant, and dedicate yourself to it. Along the way, I lost sight of mine… and others paid for it. I can’t undo that, so I must make my peace with it.”

The woman shifted, coughing into her hand. “It… would be a shame if something happened to that interrogation squad, right? If the resistance staged an attack and they just…  _happened_ to get caught in the crossfire?”

A chuckle burst from her lips. “I suppose revenge is an ideal but I would recommend something a bit more long term.”

“Like what?”

Before she had the chance to respond, light began to pour out of one of the windows in the southern wing, causing her brows to furrow. Silver, like nothing she’d ever seen before, and a moment later, it grew exponentially, proving it wasn’t mere light. Concrete and steel crumbled as the entire wall of the southern wing exploded outward, the shockwave sweeping over the interior of the compound and blowing out the windows, shaking the very foundations. Winter quickly threw a hand up, summoning a glyph to protect herself and the Lieutenant from the shards of glass and another beneath their feet to keep them from falling, but shouts echoed up and down the hallway as other soldiers hit the ground. Shouts of ‘incoming’ and ‘contact’ rose up, everyone looking around wildly for where the enemy might be, but none looked inside, at the burning wreckage of the southern wing still awash in silver light.

None except Winter, who watched, slack jawed, as a figure materialized out of the light, red cloak whipped about by streaks of silver that radiated off her body, and most prominently her glowing eyes. With her mask firmly in place, Rose raised her gaze, and she  _swore_  their eyes met.

 _This_ was the woman who would liberate a kingdom.

By that point, some soldiers took notice of the figure standing at the edge of the training grounds, and they began to take aim with their weapons. No sooner had the first fired a shot than Rose disappeared in a flurry of red rose petals, the silver light disappearing with her.

“What… just happened?” DeLeon stepped forward, glass crunching under her boots as she peered through the shattered window to survey the damages. “Was that Rose?”

“It was,” she replied, the corners of her mouth briefly tugging into a smile. No wonder the woman had shown no fear throughout her capture. “Lieutenant, notify all officers that I want an immediate one hundred percent accountability and get those fires contained. Once the scene is secure, organize a search party to comb over the wreckage tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, Ma’am?”

She turned her head, finding not confusion or incredulity looking back at her but a sort of smug hope, like the Lieutenant had expected something different and found herself pleasantly surprised. “Yes, tomorrow, unless any of our soldiers are unaccounted for, of course.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” A crisp salute and then she turned, heading off to send out the message while Sergeant Forecastle hurried up the hall.

“Colonel, Rose has escaped.”

“I’m well aware, Sergeant.”

“Should we try to follow her? The guard tower along the south east reported spotting her-”

“Sergeant,” she said, turning away from the view and fixing him with a cold stare. “We can’t afford to leave our highly defensible position here to go chasing after the leader of a resistance poised to strike. It could easily be bait and I’ll not repeat Vale’s mistake.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Send out a message to every command in the territory. All night patrols are suspended pending further instructions and all units are ordered to take defensive postures. If they come, we will be ready for them.” Then, something occurred to her. “Did Captain Coal’s company link up with his squad?”

“They did but… that was also in the reports from this morning, Ma’am.” He frowned, shaking his head slowly. “The Captain’s entire unit is now missing. They went out for night patrols last night and haven’t returned.”

Winter nodded slowly. “Send out the message. I’ll be in my office, reviewing those reports.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

An entire company lost, likely to Rose’s sister and her fury.

More blood on her hands. More lives lost to appease her need for absolute obedience.

It stopped now.

* * *

Flitting through the trees, Ruby wove an intricate pattern, changing her altitude as much as possible. Jumping from a branch here, using a trunk to change direction entirely- she would make it impossible for any manner of tracker to follow her, doing her best to duck and dodge, leave as little trace of her passing as possible. The Atlesian base sat miles away by this point, the smoke from her escape still rising in the distance, but she couldn’t afford to rest. Not yet.

She had reason to hope, though. The return of her mask- it seemed such a small thing, but it was a gift from Raven she was loathe to lose. It made her think that the Colonel had been genuine throughout their conversation, that she truly  _wanted_ to have people’s best interests at heart. Misguided she might’ve been in the past but everyone could change.

However, she couldn’t dedicate her thoughts to that potential ally at present. Ruby had no idea how the woman would handle her duty now, if she’d simply play the part of obedient soldier until the opportunity presented itself to aid the resistance or if she would put her own life at risk with a blatant show of rebelliousness. It was impossible to say.

Her best bet remained to act as if nothing had changed. Then, she could be prepared for the worst case scenario, and instead focus her attention on a new plan.

With the Colonel’s scroll, she had a direct path to Atlas Command, provided the intel proved true. She’d have to reach out to the few sources they had on the inside who would be able to verify it, and there existed a chance no one could.

Would she be willing to gamble on the woman’s word alone?

After hours of running, using her semblance to cover a much greater distance than anyone on foot, and popping up above the trees when able so she could judge by landmarks where she needed to go next. The first rendezvous spot would likely be empty, seeing as she hadn’t had the time to give any sort of indication she’d be leaving, but it would be a place she could catch her breath and pour over the scroll for more information. A cursory glance earlier proved that it did have some messages archived that might prove useful and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dig a bit deeper into the highest echelon of Atlas’ information security.

By the time she’d reached the rendezvous, Ruby was breathing hard, having pushed herself to the limits of her stamina. Nothing an hour of rest couldn’t overcome but she  _really_ hoped she’d have that hour to recover in the first place.

The spot they’d picked happened to be the ruins of a destroyed village, one of those razed during Atlas’ initial invasion of Mistral and never rebuilt, standing as a testament to the scars the kingdom would always bear and the betrayal of their former ally. For the most part, Atlesian patrols avoided these sites, lest they spark a bit of empathy from the soldiers, for who could bear witness to such destruction and be unmoved?

Aside from that, Grimm usually favored such locations, hence why she might not have as much time as she needed to get her second wind.

But she pushed all that from her mind as she leaned against the remnants of a stone wall, lowering her mask so she could breathe freely. Calling upon the power granted by her silver eyes always took a significant toll on her strength but she had to use it more and more if she would ever built up the sort of stamina necessary to launch an assault on Atlas Command. It remained the one card the resistance kept up their sleeve, their secret weapon that couldn’t be stopped by a mere show of force. True, it didn’t hold nearly as much destructive power over people as it did over Grimm, but it could certainly get the job done.

She heard the twig snap, her eyes flying open as she prepared to fight, but Ruby found herself snatched and pulled into a bone crushing embrace before she could do much of anything. Thankfully, she’d been in this position enough times to not immediately become alarmed, though she  _did_ have a few concerns.

“Yang… crushing… need… breathe…”

“Maidens alive, Ruby, I can’t  _believe_ I let you do this.” Her sister relaxed her arms enough that breathing became easier but she didn’t let go, not yet at least. “What the hell even happened? Ilia sent a report this morning that the interrogation squad arrived and then an urgent one saying you escaped- what went wrong, did those bastards touch you, if they hurt you, I swear-”

“Calm down! They never even touched me!” She couldn’t help but chuckle, wrapping her arms around her overprotective big sister. “Besides, you won’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“Yeah, we’re  _all_ dying to hear this!” Turning her head, Ruby could make out more figures stepping out of the darkness and ruins, more friendly faces that put her mind at ease after being locked in a room for two days straight. Nora’s wide smile matched the gleam in her eyes, hammer resting against one shoulder as she chuckled. “What could’ve  _possibly_ happened to put our fearless leader off her intended course? Not even Yang managed to talk you out of it, so this has  _got_ to be good!”

Ruby drew in a deep breath. “I might’ve made an ally out of the Wolf of Azulen.”

Dead silence.

“Every time I think I’ve heard her say the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” Ren said, slowly shaking his head from side to side. “She manages to beat it.”

Then, Yang pushed her out to arms’ reach, staring down her in a mix of horror and incredulity. “YOU DID  _WHAT?_ ”

“It’s… a long story.” She ducked her head though a smile spread across her lips. “But, yeah, I’m pretty sure I did. Oh.” Ruby held up the scroll between them. “And she gave me this.  _This_ is how we’re going to bring down Atlas Command.”

With that, she had everyone’s full attention, though a more than healthy dose of skepticism reflected in her sister’s lilac eyes, which she expected and understood. The ask ahead of them was enormous.

But, if they pulled it off? Freedom,  _real_ freedom, for all of Remnant.

The reward outweighed the risks. Now, all she had to do was get everyone else on board, too.

“And here  _we_ thought we would have the more shocking news for once.” Pyrrha chimed in, stepping up to put a hand on Yang’s shoulder and ease Ruby out of her grasp, trying to soothe away the panic that had set in along the blonde’s frame. “We’ve gotten word from our contacts in Menagerie. They’ve managed to get someone in the Atlesian forces there to turn to their side.”

“That’s perfect!” She smiled, seeing the opportunity for what it was. “If we can get this intel verified, we can start planning our attack.” Her will solidified, holding up the scroll- their ticket to a new future. “We’re going to bring them down and free the other kingdoms in the process.”

Despite the enormity of the task ahead of them, she could see the resolve flashing in their eyes, how each of them had suffered and, pushed to the point of war, desperately wanted a chance to bring it all to an end.

And it would. One way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW we're getting somewhere.


	5. Gardens and Packs

The beeping of her alarm pulled her not from sleep- halfway through the night, she’d given up the pretense and changed into her uniform- but it did startle her out of the staring contest she’d been having with the wall. Reaching over, she shut it off, then stood up and left her quarters, heading straight to her office. After going through the requisite motions in the wake of Rose’s escape, she found herself standing at a crossroads. She couldn’t keep the whole of Mistral in a defensive posture forever- someone would start questioning why they weren’t taking an aggressive stance- and she had little idea how long it would take until the resistance struck,  _if_ they struck at all. They could quite easily head for their intended target instead, which would provide an obstacle all her own. As the closest command outside of Mantle’s shores, she would be called upon to send her troops to reinforce the weakened Atlas defenses.

It all depended, of course, on how the attack played out. If Rose managed to succeed and Atlas Command fell, she could easily justify abandoning Mistral entirely to secure Atlas’ borders. If she  _failed_ , however, it would likely spark an entirely offensive campaign all over Remnant. It would likely make the Pacification War look like a trial run in comparison.

Few were at their posts at this hour, save for the night watch. The soldiers saluted her as she passed but she didn’t miss the dirty looks she earned when they thought she couldn’t see. A lot of her own troops died yesterday for no good reason- for no reason at all, in fact. She couldn’t blame them for their enmity.

However, she should’ve expected one of her soldiers to be hard at work before the sun had even risen. “Sergeant Forecastle, what are you doing?”

“Compiling the reports Lieutenant DeLeon filed, Ma’am,” he replied, jumping to his feet behind his desk and pushing his chair back in his haste, snapping off a salute. “The Lieutenant’s work indicates an oncoming assault on our base along the southwest coast and I believe she has the right of it.”

The port closest to Atlas, where they kept their logistics hub, airships, and warships. She had no doubt they were right but feigned surprise as he handed her the scroll. “I wasn’t aware you were both working so diligently. I’m quite certain I ordered everyone to cease all non-mission critical tasks after the accountability.”

“I believed it to be mission critical, Ma’am.”

“You’re a fine soldier, Sergeant,” she said, and she meant it, though it pained her heart, because at what point did a soldier become irredeemable? Winter accepted that she’d likely passed that mark long ago but those under her command shouldn’t be held accountable for her own blindness. They were just following orders in a world where failure to do so meant death. Could one be blamed for simply wanting to live? “What’s this at the bottom?”

“The Lieutenant and I started a fragmentation order for our forces in the southwest.” Here, his voice turned nervous- just a tremor, but she heard it all the same. “Pending your approval, of course.”

She half expected something along the lines of the invasion. March through the area, burn anything so their quarry had nowhere to hide- it wouldn’t be the first time they’d employed the tactic. However, the proposed plan was to consolidate forces along the coast and effectively abandon the smaller outposts.

“We would cede ground.”

“Yes, Ma’am, but those positions are relatively easy to retake. If we lose the base, our entire supply chain is compromised.”

“It’s an excellent proposal. Thank you for your diligence.” Mentally, she kicked herself. If she  _didn’t_ approve the order, Rose stood a higher chance of succeeding if she did indeed try to capture the logistics hub, which would make for an excellent staging point for an offensive on the Rehabilitation Facility. It would draw scrutiny from her subordinates, however, and they would likely figure her out after the attack, which would most likely remove her from her position in Mistral and make the fallout that much more unpredictable. If she  _did_ approve the order, on the other hand, the resistance would certainly be doomed to failure. “However, I don’t remember authorizing for either of you to draft such an order.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, you have enough on your plate.” Sergeant Forecastle had worked as her direct subordinate for three years now and, though he didn’t do it often, sometimes adopted a less formal tone. He was a good man. “We thought it best to have something ready.”

She had only one recourse that could possibly buy her the time she needed. “Draft the full order. I want to look over it before it’s disseminated but a FRAGO could potentially create confusion. We must assume we are being watched exceptionally closely; any opening we leave will be exploited. There can be no room for error or hesitations.” She made to hand the scroll to him but pulled it back before he could grab it. “You will do that  _after_ getting some breakfast and taking a walk, at the very least. I need you sharp, Sergeant, not burned out.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He withdrew his hand but didn’t leave, prompting her to raise a brow, to which he offered a small shrug. “I don’t think you’ll be sending me alone, Ma’am.”

“Ah.” She turned, heading into her office and finding Lieutenant DeLeon seated behind her desk, greeting her in much the same manner.

“Ma’am, I-”

“Will wait until after you’ve had breakfast and a walk.  _Then_  you can brief me.” She pointed towards the door. “Now, go. Sergeant Forecastle will provide you company.” As the Lieutenant came around the desk, she put a hand on the woman’s shoulder, stopping her briefly. “And good work. I do appreciate it.”

“O-of course, Ma’am.” DeLeon gave a stuttered little nod before heading out of the office, closing the door behind her.

A shadow passed over her face a moment before her hand did. She walked a very fine line now and every step, it seemed to get even thinner. Eventually, there would be a decisive split between those who would defend her actions and those who held nothing but contempt for her, and that balance could easily be upset by just one wrong move.

Winter had known since she was young, watching her mother’s rise through the ranks, that commanding a territory would be one of the most difficult things she’d ever do in her life. She just didn’t expect for  _this_ to be the reason.

Claiming her seat, she hit a few buttons on her desk to check for any high priority messages, of which there were a fair few. Vacuon forces were being mobilized to the border in preparation for a pincer attack to eliminate the threat in Vale. Atlas Command had also ordered forces stationed in Mantle to prepare for mobilization, with the aim of reinforcing Vacuo after the local forces had moved into Vale. Those in Menagerie would be on the other side of the pincer and were preparing accordingly.

Then, at the end, a private message of sorts.

Summoning her strength, she activated the secured line and waited for the reckoning. Although it would be early in the morning back in Atlas, she had no doubt that her mother would be wide awake.

She wasn’t disappointed. “Took you long enough.”

“I apologize for the delay, Mother.” Even after all these years, being confronted with her mother’s piercing gaze made her sit a little straighter. In their household, her word was law, and to the rest of Atlas, Willow Schnee was the physical embodiment of what it meant to  _be_ Atlesian. Their family legacy was a difficult thing to live up to and Mother pushed that to a new level. “Is there something specific you wished to discuss?”

For a moment, the woman seemed on edge. Then the look in her eyes softened by just a fraction. “I realize you’re in a very demanding position but I thank you for checking up on your siblings when you did. When we received the report about Vale, it was comforting to know that Whitley was nowhere in the area.”

“It seems I had good timing,” she said.

“Indeed.” Then, her expression turned severe. “However, abandoning his post in such a fashion ahead of an attack on this scale… reflects poorly on him. Atlas Command wanted him brought in for questioning.”

Dread flooded her chest. “Mother, you can’t possibly believe-”

“Of course I don’t.” She shook her head. “Whitley’s always been at odds with our way of life but it stems from selfishness, not rebellion. Thankfully, you’ve been rather good at documenting his tendency to run off at his whim and I’ve managed to talk the other Generals out of subjecting him to an interrogation squad.” A small sigh. “You saved your brother’s life, Winter.”

Nodding, she looked away for a moment. “When were you going to tell me about the interrogation squad’s methods? Or is that something we’re just supposed to learn through practice?”

“Don’t be so childish; I’ve told you since you made Captain to utilize the interrogation squads. You could’ve known all this time what to expect.” Her mother scoffed. “Really, Winter, how could you not know? Have you ever heard of someone  _surviving_ an encounter with an interrogation squad?”

“It’s a pointless waste of life.” She made a motion with her hands. “For what little they extract, we lose how many soldiers? Is that an acceptable trade off?”

“The life of a traitor, however minor the trespass, is worth far less than the security provided by ridding ourselves of them,” her mother replied, absolutely resolute. She should’ve known better than to try dissuading her. “We are cogs in the machine that keeps Atlas moving forward. If we prove ourselves useful, we keep our place, but those that no longer function towards that goal must be removed. It is the only way to ensure our way of life continues.”

 _What if our way of life is wrong?_  She didn’t dare speak the words but neither could she look her mother in the eye. “Of course.”

“Winter.” She looked up, meeting the woman’s gaze. “I know you’re under extreme pressure right now. In the near future, Atlas Command will ask great things of you. I have no doubt you’ll make me proud.”

“I will do my best, Mother.”  Straightening her shoulders, she could only hope to sound convincing enough. “I will do all that is asked of me to protect our way of life and accomplish our mission.”

“I expect nothing less. Dismissed.”

She ended the call and slumped back in her chair. Something she  _hadn’t_  considered, somehow- that Whitley might be suspected of having something to do with the events in Vale. It compounded her own concerns about how long until someone noticed that she’d strayed from the path herself.

She didn’t have many illusions about her future at this point. Eventually she would be deemed a traitor and her only options would be to fight to the bitter end or surrender. Either way, she would be a dead woman shortly after being discovered. While she couldn’t hope for a clear conscience by the time that end came, she could at least do her best to mitigate the fresh blood to stain her hands as best she could.

A fool’s errand but hers nonetheless.

Idly, she thought of something  _else_ she’d yet to consider. When Rose and her army assaulted Atlas Command… they would likely come face-to-face with her mother.

“You look weary, old friend.” Looking up, Winter watched as General Cotta strode in, no longer wearing their… less formal attire. They’d donned their combat suit, a complex series of interlocking armor that had all manner of weapons collapsed into the plating, painted in splashes of red, orange, and brown. The pattern worked well outside of forests and, even then, could be difficult to spot. But what troubled her most was their helmet, with the visor covering their eyes, making it difficult to read their expression. “I’ve already been briefed on your escaped prisoner- which I notice you haven’t reported yet.”

“I hadn’t reported I’d captured her, either.” She watched as they claimed the chair across from her desk, trying to keep her nerves in check. It seemed Atlas Command would be calling upon her much sooner than she’d hoped. “I may as well tell them all at once.”

“It’d be better if you didn’t, frankly. You’ll be a bit busy in the weeks ahead.” Despite how briskly they got down to business… Winter could see something in the corners of their mouth, how they pronounced certain words, as if they were choosing them carefully. It wasn’t like Terry to be so cautious when speaking one-on-one like this.

“How so?”

“I’m sure you’re aware of the attack in Vale. With that and the Vacuon rebels organizing into an all out war, Atlas Command is issuing a reorganization of forces.” They took a deep breath and then sighed. “I was sent here to conduct an inspection on your facilities. Before we became aware of the threat in Vale, Atlas Command was considering the White Fang threat to be too troublesome to continue dealing with in our usual methods. They wanted me to find an alternative. Now, with a potential uprising in three territories, they’ve determined Menagerie to be expendable and have come up with their own plan.”

“They’ve  _what_?” Her brows furrowed, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her desk, clasping her hands together and hoping she’d misunderstood her friend’s explanation. “Expendable? What, exactly, does that mean?”

“We will be withdrawing our forces from Menagerie entirely,” they said, betraying no hint of their thoughts. “The troops there will be redistributed to Vale to assist in retaking the territory.”

Winter worried about what answer would come. “We’re to leave Menagerie to the people?”

“No.” A pause. “Effective immediately, I will be the commanding officer in charge of the forces that will remain here in Mistral. While our troops withdraw from Menagerie,  _you_ will lead the extermination force into it.”

Winter felt the air flee from her lungs as she stared at her friend. “… extermination force?”

“Menagerie’s greatest asset is the mines there; the rest is none of our concern. Your mission will be to destroy everything else- poison fresh water supplies, burn what can be and bomb what can’t, leave the people of Menagerie with nothing but caves, and then flood them.” They reached into a pouch along their belt. “I already uploaded all the planning information to this scroll. As soon as I connect it to the secure channel and send the information to Atlas Command, they will publish the orders. You will have every available interrogation squad plus the full might of a corps of paladins, along with several covert teams to handle the rest under your command.” Terry stood, gesturing towards her desk. “The White Fang will be of no concern by this time next month. When the other territories are stabilized, we will return and get the mines back in operation with work forces harvested from the other territories.”

She nodded and stood up, but she didn’t move to allow the General to take her spot.

In that moment, she could only take one of two paths. If she conceded, she would be charged with committing genocide and expected to carry it out without question.

Reaching for the sword at her hip, she drew her blade, quickly pressing the tip to Terry’s throat. “No.”

“Winter…” Slowly, they opened one hand in the universal gesture of surrender but kept the hand holding the scroll well away from her weapon. “… what are you doing?”

She probably could’ve been reasonable, rational, calm- she could’ve done a lot of things right then.

Instead, she let her fury be known.

“I will  _not_ be a puppet for mass murder  _anymore_!” She pressed forward, forcing her friend- now her enemy, back, away from the desk and access to the secure line. Calling forth glyphs, she climbed over it, putting herself between Terry and their goal, and they retreated just a touch further than she would’ve liked. “I am not going to stand here and let innocent people be slaughtered in the name of Atlas!”

“What you’re suggesting is treason-”

“What  _you’re_  suggesting is heinous!” Her grip tightened as she made peace with her decision- not one she made lightly, and it pained her heart to say the words, but she had to commit to a course. Neither would be free of blood but she absolutely couldn’t abide one, so she chose the other. “I will  _not_ have their blood on my hands! Even if it means I have to spill yours!”

A single moment of silence and stillness.

Then, she pressed forward quickly, trying to drive her blade through their throat- the one weakness in their armor. Terry managed to just barely dodge, the plating on their left forearm expanding into a shield that protected their body with a slit that allowed them to see while their right reached for the weapon their favored in close quarters like this- a club charged with lightning dust, enough that one hit would bring just about anyone to their knees.

Winter called a glyph into being just before their shockstick could touch flesh, summoning another to rest at the hilt of her sword and absorb the electricity before it could reach her hand. Years of training with them had taught her more than enough tricks to make it a fair fight.

But she didn’t intend on fighting fair.

More glyphs appeared as she called upon her beowolves, forcing Terry to draw yet another weapon- some manner of pistol that seemed rather specially designed to disrupt her summons, making their forms unstable despite how hard she concentrated. Then again, considering she was mostly focused on trying to drive her blade through her friend’s neck, she was probably just as much to blame for their ineffectiveness right then. The more her emotions got the better of her, the less stable they would be, but she couldn’t rein in her unbridled fury, her absolute contempt for the truth that stared her in the face.

Less than a week ago, she would’ve been humbled to accept the charge. Would’ve carried out the mission with exacting precision. Would’ve prided herself on a job well done.

She would’ve been a monster and thought herself a hero. Ultimately, her rage was fueled as much by the task set before her as it was by her own disgust.

Electricity arched every time their weapons met and some part of her acknowledged the irony. The saber was a gift from her mother to commemorate her first command; how fitting it should be the thing that would make the woman forever ashamed of her.

“Winter, stop!” Terry shuffled backwards, keeping their shield up. “Listen to me!”

“You’ll not dissuade me,” she said, stalking forward and taking another swipe with her blade, the attack dodged as she sliced through one of the chairs. The rest of her office looked thoroughly wrecked and she would be hard pressed to explain it to her subordinates but that would be a concern for later. As long as Terry lived, they outranked her, and she would rather not find out the hard way how her soldiers would react to  _that_ fight. “I won’t stand by and let this atrocity happen!”

“I’m not asking you to!” They roared back, meeting force with force as their weapons crossed and then shoulder checking her with their shield. She’d anticipated the attack, called up a glyph to steady her feet while raising her weapon in preparation for their return strike… but it didn’t come. “Winter, listen to me- not as a superior, but as your friend. We’re aligned!”

“Forgive me if I find that too convenient to believe.” She began to circle, waiting for them to drop their guard. “You’ve shown no hint of doubt before.”

“If I had, you would’ve been the first to turn me in, old friend.” Terry straightened up, relaxing their posture slightly but still ready to bring up their shield. “Your loyalty has always been to your own goals. I  _implore_ you to listen; I’ve seen what you have. What we’ve done to Mistral, to Remnant, the mass murder of an entire people just to keep an iron grip on the rest- I have no delusions about the crimes we’ve committed and the ones that lay ahead of us. We’re both just as guilty in letting it get this far.”

They seemed sincere… but she wouldn’t gamble with so many lives. Not again. “There’s no way you can prove where your loyalties lie, is there?”

Slowly, they collapsed the shockstick and produced the scroll. “Here. See for yourself.”

Terry tossed it to her, allowing her to catch it with her off hand. Normally, she’d have pulled her dagger during the fight, but trial and error had proven that it would’ve taxed her focus too heavily to keep both blades protected from the electricity.

As she looked over the device, her brows furrowed. “This isn’t a scroll.”

“No, it’s not; it’s a kill switch.” Now, they fully relaxed, pointing at it. “I had a… friend design it specifically for something like this. It looks like a scroll but inside is a device that will upload a virus to the secure line. Effectively, it will scramble and destroy all communications across Remnant that are connected to Atlas Command. All we have to do is set it in motion.”

“It won’t stop them; you must know that.” She held up the device. “This will blind them for a time but they  _will_ find a way around it.”

“The best I could’ve hoped for was that the disruption allowed for Vale and Vacuo to free themselves. With two territories lost during the communication blackout, Atlas Command would be forced to shift all troops to retake them; they wouldn’t be able to dedicate any units to the genocide of Menagerie.” Terry shrugged. “It was the best I could do on my own. But, with your help, we  _might_ be able to get a message out to the forces in Menagerie. If we issue them the mobilization orders before sending the kill command, we might be able to redirect those forces here, under your command. It would give the Faunus and White Fang time to establish their defenses and deprive Vale of reinforcements.”

The question remained: would that be enough?

No, it wouldn’t. They would recover and try again- they would keep trying, keep spilling blood until the mountains and rivers were stained red, they’d never stop.

Not unless someone stopped them.

“Terry,” she said, a thought occurring to her. “Have you ever been to the Rehabilitation Facility?”

A dark shadow passed over their expression. “Yes. It’s why I began to question our methods and aims in the first place. It’s a testing ground for all manner of experiments on humans, Faunus- anyone who dissents, who speaks out, who dares to think for themselves are used to develop weapons and train interrogation squads.” They grimaced, the haunted look in their eyes unmistakable. “Sometimes… they’re just torn apart out of curiosity or for fun. It’s… horrifyingly barbaric.”

That would explain the top secret nature. “We need to get this information to the resistance. All of it- the plans for Mistral, Vale, Vacuo, they need to know  _everything_.”

“Trust me, the thought crossed my mind.” Terry sighed, collapsing their shield as she set her sword back on her hip. “I’d rather hoped I’d be back before the interrogation squad arrived. Or Rose escaped, as the case may be.”

“Rose didn’t exactly escape unassisted… though she didn’t need it, to be clear.” Winter went to her desk, which had a few new nicks and scratches but, other than that, stood undisturbed… unlike the rest of her furniture. “And I know what they’re planning. Now we just have to figure out a method of alerting them without rousing suspicion.” She rubbed at her chin, regarding the kill switch device. “Does anyone else know about Atlas Command’s plans for Menagerie?”

“Only every intelligence officer across Remnant.” They shrugged, helplessly. “If I knew I’d be able to do more than sabotage the extermination efforts, I wouldn’t have pushed the intelligence out, but I was trying to appear loyal.”

Immediately, she winced. In the back of her mind, the moment she drew her sword, she knew she’d forsaken any hope of being welcomed back home. Mother… expected differently of her and there would be no mending that bridge but she’d hoped at least Whitley and Weiss would hear her out. No doubt anything she tried to say would fall on deaf ears, at least in the latter’s case; she would accept her new mission, just as Winter was expected to, and to suggest otherwise would be unthinkable.

Sometimes, doing the right thing came at a painful cost… but she couldn’t turn back now. Her conscience wouldn’t allow it.

“And you’re certain this kill switch will  _completely_ blind Atlas Command?”

“It very well  _should_ but I haven’t attempted it on a system of this scale before.” A sigh. “It’s a gamble but I spent the last year of my tenure in Atlas Command tying every system together, quietly routing as many networks through as many devices as I could. Every General in the command chain will have access to the secure line and  _at least_  ten more lesser priority networks.”

Winter frowned. “Is there a chance they’ll be able to quarantine the spread before it compromises  _every_ system?”

“I’d like to hope not.”

“When you put my back against the wall, you truly leave me no room to maneuver.” With a sigh, she opened a draft on the secure line.

Hope, it seemed, would be the only thing she could cling to, for now.

* * *

Ruby’s eyes scanned the map Ren had recreated from the Colonel’s scroll. Near as they could tell, once they arrived at the docks, it would be a straight shot through the Rehabilitation Facility, down a set of train tracks, and into the heart of the Atlas Command base. A quick perusal of some other files saved to the scroll provided her with a list of names and office numbers for several of the highest ranking officers, the Generals who formed the council that decided all military actions across Remnant. Twelfth floor, the lot of them, and how much blind faith did they have in their defenses to have a high rise on a military base, anyway?

Then again, she wasn’t complaining about Atlesian cockiness- not when it worked to her favor, at least.

She looked up as Yang entered their little ‘command tent’- as close to a base of operations as they could get while away from the tribelands. They’d pick a remote, isolated spot in a canyon close to the southwest base, where they would wait for anyone who wanted to go to show up. At present, they had less than seventy-two hours before they would launch their strike to wrestle an airship away from the base. Then, it would be a mad dash to the Rehabilitation Facility.

But the furrow to her sister’s brows made her worry that even  _that_ plan would suffer. “Yang? What’s up?”

“Well, I got some news, and you ain’t gonna like it.” She came over and sat down, setting aside her mask for the time being. Just as Ruby carried hers everywhere, so did Yang, though probably more out of sentimentality than for its intended purpose. Inheriting Raven’s mask had brought with it more than just the emotional turmoil of losing the only guardian they’d known for most of their lives; it fell to her to run the tribe, which in turn became the first part of Ruby’s army to take back Mistral. She walked the line between being the leader of her tribe, a big sister, and Ruby’s closest ally and confidant. “I just heard from Blake. She’s already made her call; the White Fang is preparing their attack as we speak.”

“What changed?” Concern threaded through her voice. Throughout the night, reports had poured in from Vale and Vacuo -both through their own communications relay and the scroll in her hand- as their kindred rebels set their own plans in motion. Striking at Atlas Command relied on the Generals being too preoccupied with the territories to notice the fly in their face until it was too late. However, Menagerie was supposed to be the last to rise up, and wait until before Ruby’s group launched their assault on the base to do it, ensuring there would be as much confusion as possible as multiple bases tried to request reinforcements.

She didn’t worry that this would make their part harder; she worried it would make Blake’s nearly impossible.

Yang’s hands clenched into fists atop her thighs as her eyes flashed red. “Atlas Command just laid down a death sentence on the Faunus in Menagerie.” She looked over, their gazes meeting. “Your friend the Colonel is going to be leading an extermination force to wipe them out.”

Ruby’s shoulders fell as her face dropped into her hand. Some part of her always suspected Atlas Command would one day cross that line but she never expected them to do it now. On the one hand, it would probably make winning support to their side easier, but on the other, she couldn’t just turn her back on all those innocent people.

“If we went to Menagerie instead-”

“I offered but Blake wants us to keep to our mission.” A sigh left her lips as she reached up, running a hand through her hair. “She managed to flip some officer down there, which is how she got the intel, and she knows the identity of whoever’s supposed to take the Colonel’s place. She’s already contacted Ilia to take them out.”

Ruby’s eyes widened in shock. “Ilia- Ilia, the one currently in the middle of the largest concentration of Atlesian forces  _in_ Mistral?”

“Honestly, if anyone could pull it off, Ilia  _could_ , but I hear ya.” Yang shook her head. “It’s all falling apart, Rubes. If Ilia fails, the Wolf of Azulen will descend on Menagerie, and thousands of people will die.”

In her mind’s eye, she imagined the Colonel being told of her new mission… and it simply didn’t track. Perhaps the woman who’d stared down at her while she lay bound in chains would accept it, but the one who’d knelt in front of her, almost entirely broken- she wouldn’t. Ruby  _believed_ that.

“Why her?” Setting aside the horror for a moment, she tried to parse the decision rationally. “Menagerie has Atlesian forces there and more than enough officers. Why her, specifically?”

“Blake said something about how the forces there are being sent to Vale to suppress the uprising after the rout in Forever Fall.” Yang crossed her arms over her chest, allowing the Nevermore mask to rest on her knee. “I already sent word to Vale, and to Neptune over in Vacuo. He’s planning on cutting off the reinforcements they’re shifting to the border to try and buy Velvet a little more time.”

Sitting back, she mulled it over. Send the forces in Menagerie to Vale, send the commander of Mistral to Menagerie with a whole new force for the express purpose of killing everyone there, then, presumably, go back to Menagerie after Vale and Vacuo were back under control. That made sense.

But why take the commanding officer of Mistral away from her post? The Colonel’s resume geared itself towards  _defensive_ positions, not offensive ones.

Then, it clicked. “She’s not going to do it.”

“Ruby, I know you want to think-”

“No, no, listen.” She shifted to her knees, moving aside Ren’s recreation for the moment and drawing her finger through the dirt to make a rough outline of Remnant. “Think about it in terms of Atlas Command. They  _always_  send Generals for the important stuff and they have more than enough there to launch straight from Atlas. They wouldn’t even need to stop in Mistral for refuel because of the range on their airships.”

“I’m following so far.” Lilac eyes roved over the dirt map.

“Even with all these other orders, they’re taking the most direct route. Vacuo’s forces are closer than Atlas’, so Atlas will sweep through after Vacuo’s forces move to the border. Menagerie’s the next closest, so they’ll come from the other side. But why make this new force stop in Mistral when it’s not the most direct path? Why send a Colonel instead of a General?” She nodded, convinced of her own reasoning the more she explained. “It’s because Atlas Command doubts she’s going to do it. This is to make her prove her loyalty to Atlas.”

Yang sighed, reaching to pick up her mask and look it over. “I know you want to believe that Ruby but there’s another angle you’re ignoring.” She gestured with her mask. “We know that there’s been a Schnee on the Council since it formed. Right now, the Colonel’s mom holds the spot, but she’s gotta be pushing fifty by this point, if not over it. This might just be the next step in getting promoted; you know the Colonel won’t reach the next rank until her mother retires and she has a reputation of her own. This might just be a test to see if she’s ready, not one for loyalty.”

“You didn’t see her, Yang,” she replied, though she also couldn’t deny her sister had a point. “She’s not going to do it. I  _know_ that.”

“You  _hope_ for that.” A shake of her head. “I want to believe you. I want to think we have a friend on the inside ready to sabotage every Atlesian effort to stop us and outright kill us. But I also know that  _wanting_ something to be true doesn’t make it certain and relying on that could get a lot of people killed.”

Of all the things for her sister to inherit, she really wished an inherent mistrust of others wasn’t one of Raven’s legacies. “I’m not saying we bank on it but we shouldn’t do anything rash in the meantime.”

Yang hummed, drumming her fingers against the mask. “Time’s really not on our side here. If we wait-”

The trill of a scroll caught their attention and Ruby pulled up the message sent through the Atlesian secure line, a frown coming to her lips as she read through the message.

***URGENT*** ALL MENAGERIE FORCES REPORT IMMEDIATELY FOR MOBILIZATION TO MISTRAL. MISTRAL FORCES UNDER HEAVY ATTACK. REQUEST IMMEDIATE REINFORCEMENT.

“What is it?” Her sister leaned over, raising a brow. “Wait, we’re not attacking anyone, who is- wait, what’s going on?”

Before their eyes, the message started to scramble, the window itself closing, then opening, then something else opening, an error message popping up and, throughout every strange malfunction, the back of the scroll started to grow warm until she couldn’t hold it any longer.

“Ah!” Ruby dropped the scroll, rubbing at her hand to soothe away the sting of what almost felt like a burn as the scroll began to smoke, the screen cracking and warping from the heat. “What the…”

“I… didn’t even know scrolls could do that.” Yang, always a bit more resistant to anything hot, prodded the device gently and picked it up once it started to cool. “This thing’s toast.” As she turned it over, her frown deepened until she looked over at Ruby. “Alright, tactician, why would they reroute forces from Menagerie to Mistral?”

“Because then they’d fall under the Colonel’s command and wouldn’t be going to Vacuo.” A smile curled her lips as she took the cooling, destroyed device into her hand. “How much are you willing to bet this isn’t the only device that suddenly started smoking?”

Mulling it over for a moment, she eventually nodded. “I’ll take that bet. Twenty push-ups says your friend just burned the only bridge she had with us.”

“Why is it always push-ups with you?” Rolling her eyes, she got to her feet, letting the now useless scroll drop to the ground. “Can’t you pick something normal, like a soda, for once?”

“No,” she replied, flashing a smirk. “One day, you’ll thank me for forcing you to exercise.”

“I get enough exercise, thank you.” Before stepping out of the tent, they both donned their masks, Ruby even flipped up her hood. While most of the group with them were from their tribe, many others were people they’d picked up along the way. The masks functioned as much as part of their personas as the Dragon and the Rose as helping identify them to those who’d been in far flung areas of Mistral.

It became almost impossible to read her sister’s expression with them on, though. “Are we going to stick to our schedule?”

“For now, yes.” She sighed, scanning over nearly a hundred people, banded together by a mutual hatred for Atlas’ rule and the strong desire to depose them. “Did Cat mention if she’s going to join us? I know Fox is going to stay in Vacuo now that Rabbit’s in full swing in Vale but we can use all the hands we can get.”

“She’s coming, and she’s bringing a few friends.” Yang adjusted the bracelets on her wrists and briefly touched the sword at her belt. She hardly used it in combat but Raven had drilled the art of swordplay into both of them, despite their talents being more useful in other ways. “The White Fang is adopting Atlas’ plans. Fighting to hold onto Menagerie is a losing fight, so they’re going to push into Vale and Mistral to support the rebels there.”

Yet another complication that caused her to wince. “That can’t be a popular decision.”

“Actually, it’s more popular than you’d think.” A shrug before they both started walking through the camp. “Atlas  _forced_ the Faunus to settle in Menagerie. Most of them came from Mistral or Vale originally, some even from Atlas. They look at this as a homecoming.”

“That’s one way to garner support.” Ruby chuckled, looking around and spotting just who’d she hoped to see running towards her. Ren and Nora, each sporting masks of their own- the former with the horned top half mask of a Nuckalvee rider while the latter had the lower half of the fanged horse- came sprinting towards them, weaving around whoever failed to get out of their way. “Horse, Sloth! Any news?”

“Something  _big_ just happened at the base!” Nora started laughing, a bit breathless from the sprint but eyes sparkling with mirth. “The whole place is freaking out!”

“They appear to be suffering some manner of catastrophic equipment failure.” Ren supplied, always a bit more on top of his cardio than his counterpart. “I’m not sure how far it goes but some of the automated defenses went down and we saw smoke coming from the offices.”

“I’ll be damned,” Yang said a moment before she kicked her legs back and fell to the ground, starting to crank out push-ups.

Ruby just smiled behind her mask. “Someone find Fireheart. We need to check our own communications network. I’m pretty sure Atlas’ just crashed and burned, literally.”

At the very least, this would make things easier in Vale and Vacuo. Without the ability to coordinate, the Atlesian forces would be sitting ducks.

* * *

Winter sputtered and coughed, trying to clear her lungs of the smoke now filling her office.

“I’m now reasonably certain that it worked,” Terry said, having dove aside when the desk started smoking. Now, it sat as a warped heap of metal and wires. “I didn’t expect it to overload the circuits like that, though.”

“This is what we get for using dust to power everything,” she replied, getting up and brushing herself off. “But that’s  _definitely_ going to draw some attention.” Her gaze roved over the tattered remains of her office. “Which means we have to figure out how we’re going to explain this.” Before either of them could even make a suggestion, the door opened, Private Amitola striding through before slamming it closed behind her, a long, thin blade in hand. “You can stand down, Private. There’s no cause for concern-”

“On the contrary, Colonel.” And something flashed in her eyes then, something Winter had seen before- fury, the sort that had possessed her when she’d recounted the story from her youth, but much stronger as the flush in her cheeks returned. “There’s  _every_ cause for concern.”

Then she raised her blade and rushed forward, aiming to swipe at Terry, who just barely blocked the strike with their shield as it popped out. It caught them off guard enough to stumble backwards and Winter drew her saber to try and parry the Private’s attacks, but found a nasty surprise awaiting for her. Much like Terry’s shockstick, the thin sword Amitola used had some manner of lightning dust running through it.

Her muscles locked up, a strangled cry trying to force its way through an uncooperative throat. She hadn’t anticipated the lightning dust and, thus, hadn’t protected herself like she did against Terry. When she hit the ground, muscles twitching and spasming, Winter realized she had no manner of defending herself.

Luckily, she wasn’t the primary target of the Private’s ire, the flush now turning her skin a worrying color of red, all the way down to the tips of her fingers. Splotches of yellow also marked her skin but she couldn’t figure out  _why_ , even as Amitola took another swipe at Terry that they ducked.

However, when she hit a button on the handle, the sword separated out into a whip, and that proved  _far_ more difficult for them to dodge. Instead, they let it wrap around their right forearm, then used it to  _pull_ the woman forward, snapping their head forward to headbutt her. Using a similar weapon already, they’d specifically designed their armor to be well insulated against lightning dust; a rare bit of luck.

As Amitola fell to her knees, clutching at her head, Winter pushed herself and summoned a glyph to stand between the two. “Don’t- don’t hurt her.”

“She just tried to kill me!” Terry shot back, reaching for their own weapon.

“So did I!”

“… right.” They stopped, relaxing and watching the Private warily. “But  _you_ had good reason to; she doesn’t.”

“Private Amitola, explain yourself.” Pushing herself to her feet, she replaced her weapon at her hip but kept her glyph up.

“I know what the General is planning,” she said, bright contempt in every word. “And I know what you’re going to do to Menagerie.”

“I rather think you don’t.” A pause as she started putting the pieces together, because now that she had the time to really think about it, the flush and yellow spots- that was caused by no sickness she’d ever heard of, and only a few other things could explain it. How could she have missed it before? “… you’re Faunus.”

“Yeah. Just like my parents who were  _murdered_ by the Atlesian military.” She regained her feet, burning rage and hate directed at Winter. “I’ve spent twenty years hiding who I am to avoid being enslaved or killed but if I die stopping you? It’ll be  _worth_  it.”

She could see the blow coming, could tell that even disarmed Amitola would stop at nothing. Somehow, she’d learned about what fate awaited Menagerie if Atlas Command got their way, and she would throw every inch of her soul into stopping it. Winter could respect that and she braced herself as the first blow landed across her cheek. Fury powered it but the Private wasn’t a brawler by nature and it took a few more punches- one of which to her gut- before the Colonel hit her knees with a groan, still concentrating on keeping her glyphs up to prevent Terry from interfering.

“Winter, you  _idiot_ , what are you doing?” They tried slamming their shield against her glyphs but it would take far more than that to break them. “Defend yourself damnit!”

“I think we both know I’ve earned  _at least_  that much,” she replied, getting her breath back and looking up to see Amitola standing over her, chest heaving but the color in her face beginning to fade. A good sign, she thought. “I’m sorry for your pain. I know that doesn’t mean much but we have the chance to work for something that will be meaningful if you’ll give me the chance to explain. No one in this room wants to see the people of Menagerie slaughtered.”

The Private hesitated, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because Ruby did.” She gained her feet, pleased to see she now  _looked_ like she’d been in a bit of a scuffle, between fighting Terry and Amitola. “I know the resistance plans to strike Atlas Command. We’ve just destroyed Atlas’ communication network but there’s vital information we need to get to Rose and the others for them to be successful. With your help, we can bring Atlas Command down and save Remnant from another Great War.” Dropping her glyph, she quickly snapped off an order. “Quick, break the window.”

“What?”

“Terry, just do it!” Jumping over the remains of her desk, they put their whole body into slamming their shield against the glass, exploding it outwards. “Is anyone looking at you?”

“No?” They hummed. “It looks like absolute chaos down there. I don’t think anyone’s noticed. Oh, wait, now people are looking around. That Sergeant of yours is coming this way.”

“Perfect.” Winter’s gaze roved over the office. “Amitola, slice the desk. Quickly.” Although with a quirked brow, the Private did as asked, destroying even further her already compromised desk. “Excellent, now, follow my lead and hope I can be convincing.”

“That’s not exactly encouraging-”

As the door to her office burst open, Winter doubled over, reaching out to grab Amitola’s shoulder to steady herself.

“Colonel, are you alright?”

“What the hell  _happened_ here?”

“Assassins,” she said, grimacing as she straightened up, holding a hand to her side. “They’re dressed as Atlesian soldiers; they posed as the General’s entourage and attacked. If it wasn’t for Private Amitola, we might well have lost.”

“We need to lockdown the base.” Lieutenant DeLeon turned as if to run. “I’ll get word to the gates-”

“By the time you reach them, it’ll be too late. Do either of you have a scroll?” Winter gestured towards her desk. “I’m afraid all my devices were destroyed during the struggle.”

“No, Ma’am.” Sergeant Forecastle shook his head. “All communications devices suddenly self destructed; so far, we haven’t been able to bring any system back on all across the base.”

“Damn. Then they  _weren’t_ just assassins.” Her expression turned severe. “No matter; we must act quickly. Sergeant, scramble two units, whoever can be ready the quickest. Have them split into squads and take vehicles to every base in Mistral; effective immediately,  _anyone_ wearing an Atlesian uniform that we don’t recognize on sight as assigned to Mistral is to be detained until their identities can be verified.” Her gaze shifted over. “Lieutenant, get every staff officer in here immediately. I believe your assessment about the attack on our southwest base is correct but we can’t lose the element of surprise. I will personally see to warning the base; my summons can traverse the terrain far more efficiently. Now, move!”

“Yes, Ma’am!” They both snapped off crisp salutes before heading off on their tasks, and she let out a sigh of relief as she heard them both pelting down the hallway.

Terry chuckled. “So, when the Menagerie reinforcements arrive here in Mistral-”

“They’ll be detained. Hopefully.”

“That’ll include Weiss, you know.”

“I think I’m well past the point where she’d forgive me anyway.” Her attention fell on Amitola, pushing her family from her mind. At this point, she’d likely never be considered ‘family’ by any of them again. “Is there  _any_ way you can contact the resistance?”

A wince answered her. “I didn’t exactly expect to kill both of you  _and_ make it out of here alive. I destroyed everything that could link back to them.”

“Does it rely on Atlas’ communication network?” Terry collapsed their shield back down, coming around the desk.

“Well, I know it uses the CCT towers.”

Winter exchanged a look with their friend, who instantly put their hands up. “I’m not saying we blew up the towers… but we  _might’ve_ blown up the towers.”

“We’ll have to find out the hard way. Amitola, go with Terry and draw whatever supplies you think the resistance will need most.” She straightened out the lapel of her jacket. “I’ll meet both of you at the main gate.”

Her staff officers would have to take charge in her stead and she would need to leave explicit instructions to sow as much confusion in the event their communications got restored. Eventually, though, the truth would come out.

The best she could hope for would be that she would cause chaos, not bloodshed.


	6. Packed Gardens

Some part of her had always maintained an awareness of the responsibility sitting on her shoulders but she rarely translated that to the amount of power she wielded. Bereft of any means to be told otherwise, Winter’s word became law and her soldiers became eager to carry out her orders. It provided them certainty in a time of confusion and she could understand that.

But in the back of her mind, she worried for Vale and Vacuo. For the territories- for the kingdoms with officers who would sooner burn the countryside to the ground than admit to any manner of defeat. Had she a little less discipline, her hands might’ve started shaking.

Having Terry with her helped. They seemed to sense when her mind had turned to the people all over Remnant who may suffer for this opportunity to strike a decisive blow against Atlas Command, because she doubted the other commanding officers would take up defensive positions. They’d likely blame the local populace and try to rout their enemies.

How many lives had she sacrificed in the process?

“Ma’am?”

Winter turned to regard a Major she’d often assigned to the more mundane details of the base’s operations… and realized she’d never bothered to learn his name, quickly glancing at his chest to obtain that information. “Go ahead, Major Thorn.”

“Uh… yes, Ma’am,” he said, obviously caught a bit off guard. As a member of a less prominent Atlesian family, he would likely never reach beyond his current rank and would be relegated to the less glorified roles handed down to him by his superiors. This probably constituted the first time he’d been called by name by a superior in his entire career. “I’ve sent out the first wave of squads to contact the other bases and redistributed our forces to maximize defenses. We’ve also established a challenge and password until we can find a better way of verifying identities.”

“What’s the challenge and password?” Even if she had little intention of using it, she still had to keep up the appearance of a commanding officer intent on preserving Atlas’ interests. “Once I’ve dealt with the assassins and the resistance, I’ll return here, and I’d rather not be shot by my own soldiers.”

“Frozen flowers, Ma’am.”

“Simple enough.” She mulled it over before nodding; any objection she made would simply delay her departure further and they could hardly afford the time they’d already spent. “Good work, Major. I turn command of this base over to you in my absence. Lieutenant DeLeon and Sergeant Forecastle will be your greatest assets; let them handle their usual duties and keep trying to establish communication with our other bases. Focus on Mistral first; contacting Atlas Command does us no good if we can’t ascertain the status of our local forces.”

He looked at her then, a slight quiver in his mustache before he summoned some amount of courage. “In that case, Ma’am, I must insist on sending a squad with you to ensure your safety. Three people against assassins and the resistance are… steep odds.”

Winter might’ve snapped at him once upon a time, taken the suggestion as a slight against her abilities. Now, though, she needed to focus on building his confidence, especially in her. Otherwise, she could find the whole of Mistral’s forces turned loose with just an errant word from Atlas Command.

“I appreciate your concern, Major, but we’ll be able to outpace our enemies with my summons and the forces at the southwest base are not to be trifled with,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “The General and Private Amitola are all I need to reach the southwest base safely. However, if I fall, command of Mistral falls to you. Protect the people here, Major.  _All_ of them.”

“Y-yes, Ma’am.” He snapped off a salute that held a touch too long.

“Something the matter, Major?”

“Ma’am, there are civilians outside out perimeter.” For a moment, he wavered, then his resolve solidified. “All reports indicate there’s no members of the resistance among the populace. We can’t abandon them to the enemy.” He swallowed. “Ma’am.”

“You’re absolutely right.” By now, anyone part of the resistance had to be with Rose, preparing for their strike. “See to it that they’re brought in under our protection- and, make no mistake, Major, they  _will_ be protected. Any soldier found to be mistreating a civilian  _will_ answer to me, if you don’t take care of them first.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” She returned his salute before allowing him to head over and confer with Lieutenant DeLeon and Sergeant Forecastle, both of which she’d instructed to fulfill the same mission.

She thought, perhaps, it would be too telling, but the arrival of the interrogation squad and their actions had shaken many to their core. Where other officers like her Mother would capitalize on that to use fear as a means of securing obedience, she commiserated with her subordinates and used it to change the tone of their mission. Their purpose was to protect people in Mistral- all people. They would take no aggressive actions in her absence and, with the resistance preparing to strike for Atlas Command, they would have no reason to anyway.

As she turned towards her two companions for the trip, Terry favored her with a small smirk. “You’re putting a lot of faith in their loyalty to you.”

“Perhaps.” She offered a shrug. “They put their faith in me and I got some of them killed; I think putting my faith in them for a change might be the better option. They at least don’t have so poor a record.” Then her gaze shifted, noting the anxiety pinching Amitola’s shoulders. “I’m sure you have a different perspective.”

A flicker of several emotions passed over her expression before she looked away, scowling at the main gate. “The soldiers here… everywhere, really, they do as they’re told. Some are nice when they don’t have to be and others are cruel because it makes them feel good- it’s just how humans are. But they’ll do whatever keeps them alive and you have a reputation for not being the sort of person to piss off.”

She winced. “I suppose that’s well deserved. I appreciate your honesty, Private-”

“It’s Amitola.” Grey eyes met hers then. “Don’t call me by rank; I only joined the military so I could find a way to bring it down. It’s not who I am.”

“If I don’t miss my guess, it’s not who we are anymore, either,” Terry said, adjusting their chestplate and sighing. “We’d best get going. If this is going to work, we need time on our side- as much as it can be, anyway.”

“Right.” She nodded, waving a hand to summon three glyphs that gave way to giant white Nevermores. It would tax her heavily to keep them solid enough to be used for transport, especially at this size, but they didn’t have much choice. It remained the quickest method of transport that would be impossible to track. “Let’s get underway. Amitola, you take point. You’re likely the only one of us that won’t be attacked on sight.”

“Or so we’re hoping,” she replied, lifting herself onto the back of a Nevermore, gripping the feathers as best she could while the other two followed suit. When they lifted into the air, leaving the base behind, none of them bothered looking back.

Winter just had to hope they reached Rose’s forces in time.

* * *

Ruby frowned, tinkering with their own version of a scroll. Piggybacking off the CCT while keeping their communications discreet proved to be the hardest part of coordinating a Remnant wide resistance and, whatever the Colonel did, she’d effectively disrupted their communications as well. However, their cabal of rebels had put certain safety measures in place and, as such, were able to repair their devices since they weren’t outright destroyed.

However, they were out in a makeshift camp preparing for a strike; they didn’t exactly have Ruby’s workshop at their disposal.

“Pyrrha, can you hand me that case? I think I’ve almost got it.” She held out a hand without looking up, accepting the case in question and starting to set the components inside. They’d had to cannibalize all the devices- plus a few Atlesian scrolls that were handy- in order to put one together that might actually work.

It wouldn’t do them any good, however, if everyone else’s went down as well.

“We’re just over sixty hours away from our start time.” Pyrrha pointed out. “If this doesn’t work…”

“We go ahead like we’d planned. That’s what we all agreed would be the contingency; until there’s proof someone’s failed, we throw everything into this,” she said, distracted by both her work and the implications of that. Trying to bring down Atlas Command without long range communication seemed like a losing battle. They already had enough to try and overcome; now they had to do it without being able to talk to each other? It certainly wasn’t ideal. “Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.”

As she closed the case, she sat back and tried turning it on while looking at their unofficial communications officer. Usually, Pyrrha would leave her to her work, find something else to do in the meantime, but she’d lingered with a look in her eyes that spoke of deep worry, something she hadn’t seen in the woman since they’d first found her. Bruised, bleeding, and half dead on the edges of the tribelands- the native born Mistrali had looked upon Yang’s bandits with equal parts fear and trepidation. Time had changed her mind but the resurgence of those emotions didn’t bode well.

“Ruby…” She blew out a breath, busying herself with one of the bracers on her arms. Bedecked in traditional Mistrali armor, from before the Great War, she looked much like the Fall Maiden, one of Mistral’s four deities. At first, it was just an offhand joke Yang made, but then Pyrrha thought it might be a good idea to trade on that sacred image- to bolster the courage of those who grew up revering the Maidens that they might charge into battle beside one. “About what we talked about before… about Yang…”

Ah. So that was it. “We just hope it doesn’t come to that. It’s nothing we have to focus on-”

“Ruby.” Her expression hardened. “Yang and I talked about it, too. I know that, if things start going south, you want me to grab Yang and organize a retreat, but she wants me to grab  _you_ and do the same.” Her lips pursed into a thin line. “I’m sorry, Ruby, but if it comes down to it…”

“You’ll save me.” A sigh slipped past her lips. “I thought for sure you’d see things my way.”

“I love her with all my heart but I know she’d never forgive herself if we lost you.” She swallowed, hard. “And I can’t bear to watch her lose any more of herself.”

Ruby nodded, looking down at the scroll’s boot up sequence, which seemed to encounter no problems so far. Whatever the Colonel did, it didn’t destroy the towers. That boded well.

As for the woman’s decision… she couldn’t really blame her. Being the de facto leader of the resistance, Ruby took every loss of life personally. She’d tried to numb herself to it over the years but some part of her heart ached when she learned that their numbers had shrunk. Even those innocent civilians executed under mere suspicions- she felt them all. Yang did, too, because she’d always had a big heart and had watched them lose too many people in their lives. When Raven died and she became leader of the tribe, something changed, though. Yang didn’t just take the losses personal now; she saw them as failures, and the failure she feared most was losing the last bit of family she had left.

And, really, she couldn’t blame her sister either; she should’ve expected it.

“Can you at least watch her back during the fight?” It seemed redundant to ask but she had to, looking at Pyrrha with a soft smile. “And I don’t mean just as your girlfriend. Help her keep her anger in check. She has a habit of rushing forward when her semblance is in full swing.”

“Of course I will.” A chuckle burst from her lips as her expression softened. “As best I can, anyway. She’s not the easiest person to dissuade once she’s on a roll.”

“You’re telling me.” With a fond shake of her head, she turned her attention to the scroll and tried getting in touch with Blake- or, really, anyone in Menagerie. They would need the White Fang’s help if they were going to take down Atlas Command.

To her surprise, the line connected, and she was met with a very relieved looking Faunus. “Ruby, you’re okay.”

“You don’t have to act so surprised. I’m pretty tough.” She smiled, turning the screen so Pyrrha could wave. “I’m afraid we’ve only got one working scroll now, though.”

“We’re in the same boat.” Her ears twitched, laying back in time with her grimace. “Probably the only thing that saved us was that I had a scroll disassembled, so it didn’t receive the surge of…  _whatever_ took down the rest.”

Ruby grinned. “It looks like all of Atlas Command’s communications are down and they’re  _much_ worse off than we are.”

Blake’s brows rose as her lips curled into a grin. “I’ll be damned; I thought it was just Menagerie. We really stand a chance of winning this.”

“Have you been able to reach out to Velvet? She could probably capitalize most on the lack of communications between Atlesian forces.”

“No.” Worry creased her brow, amber eyes flashing. “The last I talked to her was when Yang had all of us on the line to coordinate the assault. Which- there’s a bit of interesting news on that front; Atlesian forces are leaving Menagerie in droves. The forces I left behind in Menagerie to resist the extermination force might actually be able to overpower what remains, if they don’t get reinforced.”

“Before the communications went down, the commanding officer of Mistral sent out an urgent message requesting immediate reinforcements.” A frown pulled at her lips- Yang saw it as a bad omen but she preferred to think of it as the better alternative to those same troops going to Vale. After all, they didn’t intend on taking Mistral back right now, but they stood a chance at reclaiming Vale and Menagerie. Sometimes, liberation came in small steps. “There’s a good chance they’ll arrive here and wait for further orders.”

Suspicion flashed in her eyes. “I’m not sure how I feel about the Wolf of Azulen amassing forces. Yang said you tried claiming she’s on our side but I have my doubts.”

She could tell how much it hurt the Faunus to bring up the point. They were practically raised as sisters, side-by-side learning to fight and strategize, and she looked up to Blake just as she looked up to Yang. But they looked up to her, too.

“I don’t know her motivations or intentions on that front yet… but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she sent out a request shifting the Atlesian forces away from fulfilling those extermination orders you told us about. Bringing the forces here- where we aren’t going to be engaging them- and not sending them to Vale means Velvet’s odds are better and your remaining White Fang has a chance to retake Menagerie.” Ruby nodded, resolute, having turned the situation over a thousand times in her mind over the past few hours. “I think the Wolf  _is_ on our side. Her hands are just tied in how she can help us.”

Blake’s ears flicked as she looked away, mulling over the information. While her father had founded the White Fang as a means of resisting Atlesian rule in Menagerie, the faction had turned militant under its subsequent leader when he realized peaceful resistance only lead to more bloodshed. Any means of spreading knowledge about the atrocities committed in Menagerie were entirely controlled by Atlas, severely hindering Ghira’s methods. Ruby didn’t know the specific details about what happened, only that Raven had brought Blake back to the tribelands almost ten years ago, citing she’d promised her father to protect her- for a time, until she could protect herself and their people.

Eventually, she returned to Menagerie and took control of the White Fang, building it into an army shortly after Raven’s death and remaining quiet in the past few years at Ruby’s insistence, waiting for the time to strike. It had worn on her, because the Faunus of Menagerie suffered the most at the hands of Atlesian rule, but now they stood a chance of making all that pain and heartache and suffering  _worth_ it.

“Ruby, you know I don’t question your judgment often- even when I should.” She sighed, looking back at the screen. “You’ve proven time and time again that you have a knack for this. Reading people and situations, I mean- I trust you. But I have to look out for the well being of my people.” She straightened her shoulders. “If Ilia succeeds in her assassination of the Colonel and the General, you’ll not get an apology from any of us.”

“That’s… fair,” she replied, ignoring the way her chest constricted at the thought. “For both our sakes, I hope the Colonel manages to explain herself before it comes to that. I wouldn’t want to lose Ilia over a misunderstanding.”

“Frankly, me, too.” Now, Blake seemed far more relaxed though the twitch to her ears spoke of lingering concerns. “For more reasons than you know.”

She nodded. Sometimes, the cat Faunus wanted to keep her secrets, and she’d learned long ago to let her have them. “Are you on the way to our location now?”

“Yes, we should arrive tomorrow.” Her lips quirked into a smirk. “Stealing aboard airships turns out to be much easier when there’s a massive mobilization and we had a bit of help in doing it quietly.”

“We’ll still have to steal more if we’re going to get everyone to Atlas.”

“ROSE!”

Ruby winced as her sister’s voice carried across the encampment and passed off the scroll to Pyrrha. “Confirm how many we need and scout out a location to land the ones on the way. We really can’t afford an airship crash at this stage.” She turned, almost leaving the little tent set aside for Pyrrha’s equipment before stopping. “And, uh, get a head count? I’m not sure if we have enough food supplies for everyone.”

“Of course.” Although she didn’t hold a specific position among the resistance, most regarded her with the same respect as they gave Yang and Ruby. She had her own mask and codename; effectively, she was just as much a leader as any of them, despite coming to their movement so late.

“ROSE!” Her sister’s voice bellowed out again and she slipped on her mask before leaving Pyrrha’s tent, the setting sun streaking the sky as she found Yang marching through the middle of camp, eyes flashing red through the slits of her mask.

“What’s going on?”

Pumping her arms to bring her gauntlets to bear, she growled out her response. “We’ve got company.”

Ruby swallowed but fell into step beside her sister, mentally preparing herself for whatever lay ahead.

They’d come so far, they couldn’t lose ground now. No matter what.

* * *

Winter grit her teeth, sweat trickling down her face as she poured every part of her into keeping the summons intact. Even during battle, she’d never had to focus this hard; they always either met their end or finished the fight by now, but it had taken them nearly three hours to fly this far and the southwest base lay just beyond the horizon. She  _had_ to keep pushing-

“Hey! We need to land!” Amitola shouted above the wind. “Right now!”

Although she couldn’t imagine the urgency with which the command had to be followed, she welcomed the chance to set down, sending the summons into a divebomb and having them pull up moments before impact. While she’d normally wait until they weren’t in the middle of anything important to dispel them, she’d reached the limits of her stamina, and they dispersed into flecks of white light almost immediately.

Terry grunted, having most likely expected it and landing on their feet without issue while Amitola stumbled a tad, taken off guard.

“I suppose I wore you out more than I thought before we left,” they said, coming over to crouch down beside her.

Having channeled all her focus and energy into her summons, Winter had landed much less gracefully… luckily, she hadn’t landed face first, managing to catch herself on shaking arms the moment after her knees hit the dirt.

“You could say that.” Her gut clenched and she might’ve gotten sick if not for her cast iron will to not show any further weakness. “Being shocked certainly didn’t help, either.”

“Are you going to pass out?”

“No.” She looked up, trying to focus on something to take her mind off the fog descending on her mind. Not only did she have to deal with the physical aftermath of using her semblance for so long but the mental strain made thinking almost impossible. “Why did we stop?”

“Because we were spotted,” Amitola replied, scanning around them. They stood at the bottom of a vast canyon not too far from the base- in hindsight, she should’ve landed them up on the cliffs, but she didn’t possess that much foresight at the time- and the thought of them running into a patrol… well, she was still the commanding officer of Mistral as far as anyone knew. She  _should_ be relatively easy to recognize.

“We should’ve met with the soldiers, then.” Terry pointed out, helping her to her feet. “We’ll need to make contact with them at some point.”

Amitola flashed them a smile. “I didn’t say we were spotted by soldiers.”

Winter’s head snapped up, her hand going to her sword as she caught sight of figures moving between the rocks around them, half certain she caught sight of people peeking out, watching them from every shadow. Terry also turned, activating their shield and waiting for whatever unspoken signal would determine their fates.

Had they been led into a trap?

“You draw your weapons and we’ll kill you where you stand.” She turned her head, watching as a woman stepped into view. Flowing, almost glowing blonde hair framed her shoulders, the white Grimm mask obscuring her face as dead a giveaway to her identity as any- a Nevermore, a nigh legendary figure by the time she’d taken command in Mistral. “If you came here looking for easy targets, you’re out of luck.”

“We just want to speak with Rose.” Although every instinct screamed otherwise, she released her grip on her sword and raised her hands in surrender, nodding for Terry to follow her lead. Although they didn’t particularly  _like_ it, they mirrored her, though they looked primed to leap into a fight if the situation called for it. “We’re not here for a fight, Branwen.”

Raven Branwen, a thorn in the side of the commanding officers of Mistral prior to her tenure. A Mistrali native who seemed content to merely ignore the Atlesian forces until about twenty years ago when her tribe began to actively harass any Atlesians who wandered too close to their tribelands. However, her actions remained localized to a forest that held little value to Atlas Command, so they quarantined the area off and left the tribe to their devices, figuring they’d die out eventually. It eventually established the night patrol procedure still in place but the Branwen tribe had been exceptionally quiet in recent years; her predecessor believed the woman dead.

Well, now she knew better.

Red eyes widened, shining brighter through the slits of her mask. “You think you know who I am?”

“Are you  _not_ Raven Branwen?”

“No. She was my mother.” Muscles rippled as she put her arms wide and then slammed her fists together, heat exploding outward. “ _I’m_  Yang Xiao Long!”

Winter somehow managed not to flinch at the blast of heat rolling over her- likely thanks in part to her exhaustion- but she wasn’t so tired as to miss the connection. How she hadn’t made it before probably reflected on how blind she’d been. “Then that must make you the Dragon. An apt name.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I know it doesn’t amount to much, but I’m sorry for your loss.”

“What do you think you know about  _my loss_?” Yang stalked closer, hands curled into fists, the gleaming metal of her gauntlets catching the dying light of the sun.

“You lost your father and your mom. Likely, your mother as well, given you’re wearing her mask.” She sighed. “You lost your home and your childhood. You’ve probably lost more friends than you care to count. Atlas… has taken almost everything for you, and I’m at least partially responsible for that. And I’m sorry.”

For a moment, it looked like her words just made the woman angier as she turned to pace like a panther, her gaze never leaving Winter. Then, finally, she growled and reached up, taking off her mask.

“Fine, Ruby, you’re right!” A blink of her eyes and they changed color entirely, reverting to a soft lilac. “She’s…  _probably_ sincere.”

“You’re really going to be stubborn about this.” From behind another rock, Rose stepped out, though she didn’t remove her own mask. Leaning against her shoulder sat the scythe she’d heard so much about, it’s sharp edge gleaming over the woman’s head. “It’s good to see you again, Colonel.”

“Winter, please.” She offered a weak smile. “By the end of this, no one will ever call me ‘Colonel’ again, and I’d rather start that trend sooner than later.” Turning her head, she looked at Terry as the shaking returned to her arms. “Give her all the information you can.”

Her friend sighed, shaking their head. “You idiot.”

A response wasn’t forthcoming or needed; Terry had seen her at the end of her reserves enough times to recognize that she’d overextended herself. Winter fell to her knees, needing to just…  _lay down_  and let herself recover, content she’d at least delivered to the resistance the information they needed to succeed. She didn’t have the presence of mind to catch herself, content to just slump to the ground; the military had imbued her with the essential ability to fall asleep anywhere, and the bottom of a canyon would be a decent enough place.

However, she was saved from literally kissing the ground by arms wrapping around her shoulders. “Is she okay?”

It struck her that Rose’s voice sounded worried- strange, because she hadn’t been even a  _little_ worried throughout their previous interactions, and she hadn’t even noticed until now. She should’ve expected the woman would’ve been able to break herself free with ease.

“She’ll be fine after some sleep.” Terry sighed, a note of agitation in their voice. “The fool was so hellbent on getting us to you lot as soon as possible, she pushed herself too hard; her aura needs time to recover. Winter likes to forget she’s not a line soldier anymore.”

“I can still hold my own in a fight,” she said, weakly defending herself and blinking at the figure hovering over her as Rose helped her onto her back.

They chuckled. “Yes, you’d be a great help from the ground; the enemy might trip over you.”

“You don’t need to worry about fighting- at least, not for now.” Rose’s eyes- after seeing them aglow with silver light, they looked so striking, peeking out from beneath her bangs and the red hood of her cloak, but she didn’t have much time to study them as the woman looked up. “Sloth! Horse! Start scouting the way back! Dragon, get your mask back on; we need to move.”

“Right.” Yang replaced her mask and stepped over, scooping Winter into her arms with ease. “Raven’s probably rolling in her grave, us helping an Atlesian.”

“And Mom’s probably proud, now c’mon! Just because the base hasn’t sent out patrols recently doesn’t mean they  _won’t_!”

“They’d better not.” Her words started to slur as her eyes closed, unable to even think about objecting to being carried at present. “They were… ordered to take  _defensive_  positions.”

“Says she’s not a Colonel, talks about orders she gave out and expects to be fulfilled- now  _that’s_ some Atlesian logic.”

Winter couldn’t help but sigh. “You  _really_ don’t like me.”

“I  _really_  have a lot of reasons not to,” the woman said, her mask a little less intimidating with lilac instead of red. “But, for the record, I don’t like your friend much either.”

“That’s fair.” Although she didn’t have the energy to look around, she could hear the tromping of more people than were called out. At least ten, perhaps more spread out in a perimeter- they’d come prepared.

Idly, she thought it funny; she wouldn’t be surprised if she woke up in chains.

She  _really_ wouldn’t blame them.

* * *

Ruby idly stirred the stew they’d reheated, trying to keep it from bubbling over onto the dust powered burner. Ren had made it before they linked up, more than enough until they could hopefully steal supplies from the Atlesian base- they were already taking their airships, so surely a few crates wouldn’t hurt- but now they had to portion it out a bit more stringently. Once the White Fang arrived, they’d have plenty of mouths to feed before the first part of their assault even began.

Pyrrha had all the details and she’d glanced at them before following Yang into their ‘command tent’ of sorts, where she’d set the Colonel- or Winter, rather, down on Ruby’s bedroll. They really didn’t have the supplies to spare for another one but she still had her cloak, if worse came to worst. She’d slept with less before.

Yang, Nora, and Ren were off parsing through the information Terry had to offer, their odd introduction coming after the group already returned to camp. Ilia listened, too, seeing as the White Fang would have a different mission than Ruby’s forces during the strike against Atlas Command and it would make getting Blake caught up go a little smoother. The White Fang would be focused on drawing away any Atlesian forces so Ruby and her crew could get into the main building. Blake had volunteered her people for the position of distraction, knowing it would give them a chance to exercise every slight suffered since the relocations while Ruby and the others would be more focused on subtlety.

The war of attrition didn’t raise her hopes about the outcome but neither could she deny the people of Menagerie the satisfaction.

She should probably be hearing the information firsthand- some part of her acknowledged that. Terry likely had a lot of useful insights to the Rehabilitation Facility. Yet, another part of her felt responsible for the woman’s condition. Winter had only rushed out here to deliver information vital to their strike against Atlas Command, after apparently sparing Ilia’s life. Plus, the woman wouldn’t likely be met by friendly faces if she left the tent, and the last thing any of them wanted to deal with was a squabble among their forces. She and Yang already had their hands full trying to keep their tribemates from regarding the… newer volunteers with outright derision.

“Hey.” Ruby looked up, watching as her sister slipped into the tent and removed her mask but didn’t bother sitting down. “How’s she doing? She woke up yet?”

“No, but she isn’t running a fever, so Terry must’ve been right. It’s just aura exhaustion.” A sigh slipped past her lips, stealing a glance at the woman. “You still don’t trust her.”

The expression that flickered over her face spoke volumes. “I believe people can change; I just doubt it could happen  _that_  quick. I’m still not sure if I believe she’s completely on our side but… I’m willing to give her a chance.”

“Just barely,” she replied, though she really couldn’t fault the skepticism. “Did you find out anything useful?”

“Uh… yeah, you could…  _definitely_ say that.” Yang’s brows furrowed, tossing her mask between her hands and pacing a bit. “I dunno, Ruby. This… we knew it was going to be hard but after hearing what we’re going to find when we get there… I know we have to carry out the attack. Atlas Command  _needs_  to be stopped.” She shook her head. “But we’re going to pay a heavy price for it.”

“Are their defenses that strong?”

“Well, they’re going to test us, sure, but, I don’t mean that.” Her expression flinched, lips curling in distaste. “Terry mentioned some of the… things we’re likely to see when we get there. It’s going to piss some people off- hell, it pisses  _me_  off. Trying to keep a cool head after it…”

She could see the way her sister’s eyes verged on turning red, her restless energy palpable the longer she thought about it. “We just need to stay focused. When our attack succeeds, we’ll put an end to that suffering and so much more.”

“Yeah. It just- there’s nothing we can do to make this right. And that kills me.” She ran a hand through her hair out of frustration. “We really can’t fail, Rubes. If we do, if they get to  _keep_ doing this-”

“We won’t.” She straightened her shoulders, meeting her sister’s gaze evenly. “This is going to be the hardest thing we’ve ever done. It’s not like when Mom and Dad died or even when Raven died; this isn’t about just  _surviving_ until the next bad thing happens. This is about fighting for a chance to live,  _really_  live, and not just for us but for all of Remnant.” Getting to her feet, she walked over and gave Yang a hug, bringing her pacing to a halt. “This is much bigger than us and it’s not fair that we’re the ones having to do it. Raven might not have been the  _best_  mom, but she never wanted us to be the ones doing this. We can’t change that. So, no matter what we see, no matter how many friends we lose, we  _have_  to fight. And we  _have_  to win. Or else, there’s going to be more kids who grow up just like us.”

Strong arms wrapped around her, the same arms that once brought her comfort whenever the thunder was too loud or when the winters turned harsh. Raven didn’t often open herself up to physical affection but her daughter more than made up for it. “No matter what, one of us has to make it through this, Rubes. And I’m not leaving that place until it’s burned to the ground.”

Yang wouldn’t come right out and say it. Always too mindful about upsetting her sister to be entirely honest, sometimes, but she could read between the lines. “This isn’t going to be a suicide mission. I’m not leaving you behind. Even if I have to fight Pyrrha to do it.”

“She’s never been one to keep a secret, huh?” She chuckled and sighed. “The tribe will follow you, ya know. Blood or not.”

“It’s not about that.” She drew back, forcing a small smile. “We’re the only family we have left. It’ll take more than stacked odds while fighting a tyrannical government before either of us gives up.”

With a laugh, Yang ruffled her hair in a way she hadn’t in months, not since before Ruby proposed the plan to be taken by the interrogation squad. “Yeah, you’re right. Tomorrow morning, we’ll give you the full brief on what to expect; you can decide what we should tell everyone else.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Blake?”

“Nah, after hearing Terry’s whole spiel, Ilia turned redder than dust and stormed out.” A wince. “By the time I found her, she and I were kinda on the same page. The fewer White Fang who go inside the Rehabilitation Facility, the better. They… they really don’t need to see all that.”

Between the three of them, Blake fell towards the side of being calmer when confronted with the upsetting or unsettling. Yang and Ruby worked on their reactions but the former’s semblance tended to run rampant with her fury, and in the heat of the moment both could be useful, while the latter used her emotions to harness the energy inside her; to some extent, they had to go in at least a little incensed, a little angry, a little  _fed_ up.

But that meant they needed the others to stay calm and cool, to redirect them if they got distracted.

“We’ll go over the details tomorrow, then.” Ruby smiled, returning to her spot tending the stew. “Go spend some time with Pyrrha. You know she’s probably feeling a little guilty.”

“I’m sure.” Her sister flashed a smile before slipping on her mask. “I’m kinda looking forward to making her feel something else-”

“Get out,” she said, though she couldn’t help but laugh. Although she rather liked the woman and how happy she made Yang, Ruby  _really_ didn’t to know anything else about their relationship than that. It remained one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak few years.

Left alone, she tried to take her mind off how the others were doing. Some part of her didn’t want to imagine how they might be faring, because for all the lack of communications on the Atlesian side of things might help them, losing their own might hinder them as well. She thought about tracking down Pyrrha and getting the working scroll back but decided against it, for a number of reasons, and she expected the woman would drop whatever she was doing- or, whoever, as the case may be- if a call  _did_ come through.

“I did not need to think that.” She groaned, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the top of the tent. “I blame Yang.”

“For what?”

She looked over, watching as Winter slowly pushed herself up, a grimace splayed across her face. The last time Ruby had pushed herself to aura exhaustion, she’d slept for three days; she was younger, then, and just discovering the power within her, so she thought it wouldn’t be as bad for a military woman of Winter’s caliber, but apparently the extra time spent asleep spared her some of the other side effects.

“Oh, nothing.” She sat up and turned, facing the bedroll. “How are you feeling?”

“Like someone dropped a Paladin on top of me.” Rolling her neck, the soldier looked around before focusing on her wrists and humming thoughtfully.

Ruby raised a brow. “Something wrong?”

“I expected to wake up in restraints.” In blue eyes, she could see a bit of amusement… and  _a lot_  of uncertainty. “For all your talk of turning our methods against us, I must admit I’m surprised at your show of mercy.”

“Well, most of that was  _just_  talk; I was trying to scare you into turning me over to the interrogation squad.” Although she acknowledged that she shouldn’t reveal  _everything_ quite yet, she also saw no point in keeping all her cards in her hand. They’d both have to reveal a little before moving forward but they’d both taken incredible risks as well. Hopefully, that made this part easy, but first thing’s first. “Are you hungry?”

“Very.” Grabbing the bowl off the heater, Ruby offered it and a thick rag, hoping it would be enough to keep from burning the soldier’s hands. It wouldn’t be enough to leave a mark but it would be a touch uncomfortable. “Thank you.”

“You realize you’re not a prisoner, right?” She rested her hands on her knees, picking lightly at the hem of her skirt. After linking up with Yang and the others, she’d changed into a fresh set of clothes, but they didn’t exactly bring anything to help them do laundry. Seemed a bit… superfluous given their aims. “As soon as you’re strong enough, you’re free to leave. General Cotta, too. Or, uh, Terry.”

Then, a touch of the aimless confusion returned to her expression as she paused with the spoon partially to her mouth before setting it back down in the bowl. “No.” Before her very eyes, Winter’s expression changed to one of resolute determination. “No, there’s more I can do to help you. You’re expecting to take airships and supplies from the nearby base, correct? I’ll ensure you don’t have to fight for them.”

She raised a brow. “And how do you propose on doing that, exactly?”

“By ordering for the troops at the base to stand down.” Her gaze darted towards Ruby’s mask, set aside for the moment. “Frankly, as long as you don’t wear those, no one will know who you are. If I pull all the soldiers off their positions and out of the way, your resistance can sweep through and take whatever you want. By the time they notice, it’ll be too late.”

With that, Winter returned to the bowl, as if her answer would satisfy all questions. As much as her curiosity burned, Ruby waited until the woman had managed to swallow more of the stew- she likely needed every drop to recover her strength- before offering softly. “What about you?”

“Pardon?”

“If you provide us a distraction, you’ll be held accountable for everything we steal.” She pointedly glanced at the destroyed scroll. “You’ve already caused a bit of a problem for Atlas Command. Even if  _they_ won’t be around to punish you,  _someone_  will put two and two together. So, what about you? What’s your endgame? What are you getting out of helping us like this?”

Her gaze fell to the bowl and she took another spoonful into her mouth, chewing it slowly before setting the bowl aside. It worried Ruby, because she could see those same shades of hopelessness from before, when the woman looked like a broken shell of her former self. When she spoke, she sounded much as she did back in the cell, when confronted with the truth of Atlas’ crimes.

“Frankly, the only thing I can hope for at this point is that I help you change the course of history. Redemption for someone like me is… beyond reach. There’s too much blood on my hands to ever wash clean.” Then she straightened, tilting her chin up proudly. “I should be held accountable, in some manner. It’s very likely I’ll be deemed a traitor and be executed. It won’t absolve me but… perhaps, in a small way, it’s the fate I deserve, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure the charge sticks. I can’t live my life continuing to support the merciless murder of people different than me based solely on that fact alone and I’ll gladly meet my end knowing I’ve done everything I could to stop it.” Then her gaze shifted to Ruby. “It’s like you said: I must fight, however I can.  _This_ is a battle I can help you win.”

“I think you’re forgetting about the war,” she said, her lips curling slightly. In shades, she could see the same woman who’d stared her down so effortlessly while she was a prisoner- cool, calm, indifferent but obviously vested. The Wolf still thrived; she just needed a little nudge in the right direction. “Taking out Atlas Command is the first big step, sure, but there’s still everything that comes after. When we return to Mistral, you could help us dismantle hostilities between the Atlesian forces and the local population.”

A mirthless chuckle left her lips. “Especially seeing as I effectively doubled Atlas’ numbers.”

“Which, while we’re on the subject, why  _did_ you do that?”

She needed to know. Not so she could have some manner of proof for Yang or even because it would further cement her confidence in her own skills deducing Atlas Commands’ motives. Ruby found that her curiosity came from somewhere else, from trying to discern what part of the woman was immutable and what part could change. She’d obviously let go of the belief that everything told to her was righteous and justified, that Atlas could do no wrong, but just a moment ago she’d seen glimmers of the same person who’d stood over her while she was bound and chained.

Now would probably be her only chance to know- where did the Colonel end and Winter begin?

“If I allowed the forces in Menagerie to reach Vale, they would begin destroying anyone whom they deemed to be a threat.” Almost instantly, her expression hardened, rage barely contained in her eyes and clenching her hands into fists. “Here, in Mistral, without Atlas Command to say otherwise, my word is law. If I tell my soldiers to detain any Atlesian soldiers whom they don’t recognize, they will do so.” Her lips pursed into a thin line. “I’ll admit I hadn’t considered anything beyond that point. I just realized that I couldn’t allow an entire corps to march into Vale, not when I had the chance to redirect them.” A sigh left her lips. “Even now, I can entertain a hundred ways to proceed, and each has a steep downside.”

Ruby couldn’t help but smile. “You really did grow a conscience, huh?”

“I’d like to think I always had one and just recently opened my eyes to see the extent of my actions.” Her shoulders fell slightly. “But I’m honestly not so sure myself.”

“Welcome to being a rebel.” She met curious blue eyes steadily. “Yang- my sister, she blamed herself for the longest time after Mom and Dad died. When you realize there’s so much wrong with the world and you want to do something about it, you look at the time you spent unaware and think… what would’ve happened if I’d done something sooner?” Closing her eyes, she allowed a little of the energy to pour out, silver light curling along her cheeks as she opened them again. Winter didn’t look alarmed, despite having born witness to what she could do with the ancient power. “When I found out I could do  _this_? I felt that way, too, but we were just kids.” Then, she let it retreat, back to the place where it slumbered, and offered a smile. “I can’t change the past and maybe I have some innocent blood on my hands, too. Those I could’ve protected but didn’t- nothing I can do will bring them back.” With the thought in her mind, she got to her feet; even if Yang and Pyrrha were indisposed, she could probably talk to Ilia or Terry to start getting caught up. “Now, though, I  _can_ do something. As long as I don’t give up, maybe I can make sure the lives lost until now weren’t in vain. There’s no way forward that’s without bloodshed; Atlas Command has pushed us to this point. I’ll mourn whoever we lose… but I can’t let my fear of losing someone stop me from protecting so many others.” She turned towards the tent’s opening, settling her mask back in place. “You should finish eating and get some sleep. We’ll need all our strength going forward and you’re one of us now.”

“I doubt others see me as such.”

“A month ago, I’m sure you doubted you’d ever turn against Atlas Command.” Ruby flipped up her hood, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder. “You should know by now, Winter. I make the unpredictable happen.”

To her relief, a small smile answered her. “That you do.”

Leaving the tent, she set about mentally cataloguing everything they needed to do before the White Fang arrived. Even with an ally like the Wolf of Azulen on their side, it wouldn’t do them nearly enough good if they failed to plan accordingly.

They’d come too far to trip themselves up now.

* * *

Left alone with her thoughts, Winter mechanically ate the bowl of stew. Absently, she noted that the meat tasted like it had been heated and cooled several times, chewy and tender in a way that she expected of field chow, but not as heavily flavored, likely due to a lack of spices. When she’d first entered the service, she ate something like this- just the barest hints of nutrition, an unspoken threat that they walked a razor’s edge between something and nothing, no matter how unpalatable that ‘something’ was. She’d been determined back then, resolute in following her mother’s footsteps…

She chewed her mouthful slowly, brows furrowing. Mother had to know all about the Rehabilitation Facility, had expected her to be at ease with the interrogation squad, and most likely believed she would eventually take the woman’s place at Atlas Command. This wasn’t just turning her back on her family and the legacy they’d built; she was ensuring Ruby and her band of rebels would have a chance to strike her down, and all her allies.

Winter returned to her meal, intent on finishing it and getting some more sleep. She would need her strength because, on top of whatever defenses Atlas Command had in place, the liberation force would likely run straight into Mother along the way.  _That_ was a fight they might not win, even with the silver light that flowed from Ruby’s eyes.

Remaining in Mistral, then, to answer for her actions would be ill advised. Major Thorn, Lieutenant DeLeon, and Sergeant Forecastle would hold the main base until she returned, she believed that- especially if whoever tried to displace her threatened any sort of disciplinary action. The southwest base, on the other hand… she remembered  _vividly_ who she’d stationed there to oversee it, and the little ones in between- Ilia’s comment before, that there were both those who would side with Atlas and those who would side with her, the difference between unnecessary cruelty and unrewarded kindness.

Setting aside the empty bowl, she laid back and closed her eyes, connecting the threads and fitting pieces together in her mind. If they were to win the war, she couldn’t play the role of a noble traitor turning herself over to the institution she’d abandoned. She’d need to be more- to be the same soldier who relentless pursued her goal, her ideal.

To protect the people of Mistral, of Remnant, she’d need to fight Atlas Command  _directly_.

She just hoped the rest of the resistance would be willing to trust her in that regard. Even if she had Rose’s confidence, it still seemed a steep hill to climb, but it was the one she was willing to die on, if it came to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to point out to anyone who thought I did it for the ship, "frozen flowers" was actually a challenge/password during my last training exercise, and at the time it made me laugh because I'm in the reserves now and NO ONE knows how to do a challenge/password. Anyway, seeing as it would be funny as hell, I included it here.


	7. White

Winter awoke to the sounds of the resistance camp in full swing, people scuttling about attending to various tasks. It sounded like most were setting up extra tents and consolidating supplies brought from various caches in the region and she could occasionally hear Yang’s voice rising above the others, always called by her codename in either response or to grab her attention. Another seemed to be part of the coordination process, someone called ‘Fireheart’, which could either be another leader of some sort Atlesian forces had yet to discover or a member of lesser status. It didn’t matter; those two seemed to be the ones she’d need to find in order to begin offering her assistance. At the very least, her summons could attend to basic tasks, like moving equipment or supplies.

Getting up, she gave her uniform a once over, a frown touching her lips. There’d be no hiding her identity, of course- she would be immediately recognizable to the majority of the resistance purely by virtue of being their number one enemy in the kingdom- but she would not try to hide, and look a modicum of presentable in the process at least. She went about smoothing out her jacket, removing her gloves to tug her cuffs down before slipping them back on, adjusting the collar, patting at her pants, and reaching up to undo her bun. Originally, she intended to pull her hair back into one, as was considered proper for an officer of her caliber… but then she stopped.

Why continue adhering to protocols when she had every intention of overthrowing the system that put them in place?

She tossed the bobby pins and ties aside, seeing as she no longer needed them, and removed her gloves again. Considering she planned on doing some actual work, she also removed her jacket and folded it up… before tossing it into the corner of the tent, her sword joining it. The uniform conveyed a sense of power and authority- both of which she now rejected. It wouldn’t be right to continue wearing it. Being armed would likely only increase tensions and she didn’t need help in that regard.

It felt strange, having her arms and hands bare, hair falling around her shoulders with the intention of walking out and facing the day, but she couldn’t cling to the little details. When she strode onto the base, she would send a very clear message.

Stepping out into the camp, she blinked against the morning sun and looked around.

“About time you woke up,” Terry said, carrying two bowls and ignoring the looks thrown their way. Unlike Winter, they’d opted to remain in their uniform, though the splashes of color likely brought less than disdain than the stark white of her own uniform. “Trying a new look?”

“I thought I should represent the ideals I choose,” she replied, accepting one of the bowls. It looked to be the same stew from the night before, likely cooked in bulk and portioned out. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Rather than retreat to the tent, they stood and ate, enough times spent in the field with their meals under similar circumstances to fall into the old habits easily. “So what’s the plan?”

She raised a brow. “You’re taking your cues from me?”

“Hey, my plan was the coward’s way of plausible deniability.” They shrugged. “You’re the one with a head for direct action.”

“Our first order of business should be finding somewhere to help.” She swallowed down another mouthful as they both stepped aside, clearing the way for a few people to carry what looked like pilfered military grade dust crates past them. “There’s bound to be somewhere hands are needed.”

“Good idea.” Terry hummed. “Although, you should probably go over there, first.” They jerked their head towards the far side of camp. “Someone you should talk to.”

Seeing no reason they  _shouldn’t_ , the two started making their way across the camp, sidestepping any who seemed to be busy. “Is it ‘Fireheart’?”

“No, let’s just say, I  _think_ you might recognize him. I could be wrong.”

“I think we need to have a talk about you keep information from me until the last possible second.”

Terry favored them with a small smile. “I thought it was part of my charm.”

“At present? It’s really not.” It felt strange, talking like this; despite knowing each other for years, they’d been forced into a more professional relationship when their careers determined their ranks. To be open and teasing again… for all she’d lost, she found herself gaining, perhaps, the things that truly mattered. “We’re not really in a position to be keeping our cards close.”

“Fair point.” They came to a stop and gestured with their bowl. “But I think he should make his own introduction.”

“On the count of three!” A familiar voice rose above the din. “One! Two! Three!”

Winter looked over in time to catch Captain Coal heaving along with his soldiers, erecting another tent while someone went around and started staking down the ropes to keep it up. She let out a relieved sigh. “You’re right; I do know him.”

“Excellent, because he doesn’t recognize me, and I think we’d be more welcomed among this lot than the others.” Terry winced. “They, uh… don’t seem too fond of us, if the chatter’s any indication.”

“You should  _really_ stop eavesdropping on our allies.” She pointed out while approaching the newly established tent.

“I’m an intelligence officer; my skill sets are  _somewhat_ limited.”

“And you accused me of being useless in a fight,” she replied, earning a slight shove to her shoulder and smiling. “Captain Coal!”

His head snapped towards her, at once tensing in preparation of a fight or to salute, but then relaxing after looking her over. “Colonel?”

For a moment, Winter’s expression pinched before smoothing out. “Not anymore, if it’s all the same to you. Winter will suffice.”

He chuckled, nodding slowly. “Alright, well, I ask the same.  _If_ you remember my name.”

“Flynt.” Confident she’d passed his little test, she gestured towards the tent. “Do you need two more sets of hands?”

“Not… really…” He shook his head, handing off one of the ropes to the person staking them down and cocking his head to the side. “Alright, I’ll bite. What’s going on?”

“I’m afraid you’ll need to be more specific-”

“I’ve spent enough time watching you march around to know you’ve got your tells.” Flynt passed off the other rope and stepped away, watching her closely. “You’re not really the type for subterfuge and you don’t seem to be ticked off seeing me here. Considering you’re, well…”

“A bit of a bitch?” Terry supplied, earning a quick, heated glare that was met with an absolutely deadpan expression. Ultimately, she had to concede the fight.

Especially seeing as she was outnumbered. “Definitely one way of putting it.”

“I’ve come to realize that… there’s a lot of things wrong with Remnant, and the vast majority are caused by Atlas Command,” she said, meeting his gaze evenly. “I’m also guilty of being the cause for many woes. This is… not penance, I don’t think I could achieve that, but it’s an attempt to set things right by fighting for the freedom of those we’ve stomped under our heels.”

Flynt watched her a moment longer. “… you’re being sincere.”

“I am.”

“Huh.” He reached up and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “I’ll be damned. When did this happen?”

“It’s a recent development, I assure you.” She favored him with a smirk, opting to borrow an appropriate colloquialism. “My head was rather firmly lodged in my ass.”

“I’ll say.”

“What about you?” She motioned towards his soldiers- although, she wondered if they even considered themselves bearers of the moniker anymore. “How long have you been considering joining the resistance?”

“Honestly? Years.” He shook his head slowly before looking over his troops. “You two lived in the capital your whole lives, so you’ve probably never been to the ‘Faunus villages’, huh?” She shook her head, Terry much the same. Aside from the odd assignment abroad, their families remained close to Atlas Command; even that little time away comprised of very little local interaction. “Well, I grew up near one, and they aren’t villages at all; they’re slums. The Faunus who join the loyalist battalions or go work in the mines? They’re the ones who somehow managed to stay healthy enough to leave. The rest never stand a chance.” A shadow passed over his face. “Even though my parents tried to keep me away, I’d sneak over and play with a girl from there. Cat Faunus- she had the biggest smile and, now, I can’t imagine how she pulled it out whenever we saw each other.” He looked away for a moment, obviously composing himself before his gaze returned- hard, sharp,  _angry_. “I only joined the military hoping I could get to  _your_ rank, make some changes, at least give the ones who survived the slums the respect they deserve.”

She hadn’t even considered it. “I denied them that, didn’t I? When I refused to let them train beside you?”

“Yeah.” He shook his head. “That’s when I said ‘fuck this’; I was fed up of everyone else being ‘other’, and ‘other’ being code for ‘lesser’.” Flynt jerked his chin towards the others. “I spent enough time picking through the new soldiers to find ones who had a similar background, I knew they’d follow me.”  A chuckle. “Honestly, I always thought you’d notice that the squads from my company never ‘found’ any resistance fighters.”

“I, admittedly, remained blinded to the rising death toll under my command,” she said, wincing. “One of my many failings.”

“Yeah, well, for what it’s worth? I’m glad you’re on our side.” He nodded, offering a hand. “Every one of us who turns against Atlas is just another drop of courage for the rest. I like to think more people want change, too; they’re just to scared to fight for it.”

“I hope we prove your optimism wise,” she replied, shaking his hand. “And I apologize for reprimanding you in the first place.”

“Hey, I look at it as a blessing.” A smile curled his lips as he spread his arms wide. “It was kinda iffy when we got here but, we might not be here at all if it wasn’t for that order, and there’s nowhere we’d rather be. That right?”

Voices rose up to answer him and it bolstered her confidence. Perhaps she’d been blind but others hadn’t; this would give them the opportunity to strive forward, towards a better world.

“Mr. Flynt!”

He rolled his eyes and turned. “For the last time, Fireheart, it’s  _just_ Flynt!”

The voice struck a memory, causing her brows to furrow as she looked over and took note of the woman striding towards them. She couldn’t rightly tell, what with the Deathstalker mask obscuring half her face, but the red ponytail, gauntlets, and greaves… she felt certain she  _recognized_ them.

“Sorry!” A small smile curled Fireheart’s lips- quiet, humble, gentle, and  _that’s_ when it clicked into place.

“Nikos,” she said, the word slipping out and catching everyone off guard, but the woman in question most of all. Winter couldn’t hardly believe it. “You’re alive?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” she replied, reaching up and removing her mask to reveal bright emerald eyes, just as she remembered. “I’ll be honest; I didn’t expect you to recognize me.”

She didn’t know what else she could say. “You were a very promising soldier.”

Flynt raised a brow at that. “Another defector?”

“No; Ni- Fireheart was a member of the Mistrali augmentation force assigned to the main base.” She cringed at the memory. “I sent her and half of the augmentation force at the time to rout the resistance from a suspected safehouse in the north. I was told there were no survivors.”

And she could see it, a flicker of something- an emotion Pyrrha Nikos, the soldier, never displayed.  _Anger_ , righteous and pure, and her voice could cleave through metal when she spoke. “Do you know why that is, Ma’am?”

“I don’t and, frankly, I’m quite certain I won’t like the answer when you tell me.”

Despite the fury in her eyes, the woman ducked her head a little and looked away. “Allow me to put it in the form of a question. What happens to the augmentation forces who are wounded in battle?”

“I assume… they’re… treated…” She closed her eyes, dropping the empty bowl to her side as her other hand came up to her face. “But I wouldn’t know because no augmentation forces have ever  _returned_.”

In the brief silence that followed, she could hear exactly how unimpressed with her response the others were.

“Standard procedure is… granting ‘mercy’,” Terry said, though their low tone implied all that needed to be said on the definition of ‘mercy’ in this context. “Medical resources are for the Atlesian forces primarily. Mantle born, secondly. Others…”

“I’m an idiot.”

“I mean, in your defense, it’s… literally never been your job.” They tried- both to defend her ignorance and comfort her. “You issue the orders; it’s up to someone else to look after the soldiers carrying them out.”

“But  _I_ never asked,” she replied, hand dropping as she sighed, looking up at Fireheart. “I am, truly, glad you survived. Did… anyone else…”

“No.” Her lips pressed into a thin line before she reached up, moving aside her chestpiece just enough to reveal a starburst scar about three fingertips across below her collarbone. “I was lucky; my injury didn’t inhibit my movement too much. If it wasn’t for the size of the projectile, I wouldn’t have gotten pinned. That’s… what almost cost me my life.” Clearing her throat, Fireheart met her eyes steadily, the anger still present but calmer- like storm clouds on the horizon, holding all the threat but out of reach. “I watched as the Atlesian forces sent to ‘collect’ us marched through the field, finishing off everyone they passed. Only about half of us had made it through the boobytraps and enemy fire and the rest… I was barely able to escape… but I left the rest of my unit to do so.” Her expression tightened, guilt creeping in to replace the anger. “I-”

“Did the best you could.” The lot of them turned to regard Yang- or Dragon, perhaps, considering her mask- whose voice came much softer than Winter had ever heard it. “The explosion we rigged threw you into a tree fifty meters away; you had more injuries than  _just_ a piece of shrapnel in your chest.”

“I-”

“No.” She shook her head, stepping up beside Fireheart and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, encouraging her to relax into the embrace. “We’ve been over this; you can ‘what if’ all day and it won’t do anyone any good.” A bit of heat returned to her voice, just the slight tilt of her head indicated she was looking at Winter. “All we can do is stop it from happening again or die trying.” Then, her attention returned to the redhead. “C’mon, put your mask back on. Let’s go-”

“Wait.” Fireheart lightly touched Dragon’s arm, softness in that single word before she looked up, something unspoken passing between the two before the blonde nodded. When green eyes fell on her, Winter braced herself for whatever might come with it. “I never imagined we’d see each other again but… I wanted to thank you.” That seemed to surprise Dragon most, judging by the jump in her shoulders. “It took me months of healing before I could return home, but when I did…”

“I remember you said your parents died during the invasion.” Her shoulders straightened, tilting her chin up. “Your personal effects were given to your friend and neighbor; I’m glad to see you were able to retrieve them.”

“That’s why I want to thank you.” She looked down, at the red sash about her hips, pinned in place by an emblem bearing the Nikos sigil. “Most augmentation forces… if you fall in battle, all record of you is destroyed. It means a lot to me that you didn’t follow that example.”

Winter chuckled bitterly. “Please, do not give me credit for a fluke. I simply believed that all who served honorably should be given proper respect for their sacrifice.” A frown tugged at her lips. “Only now have I learned how deeply flawed my definition of ‘honor’ was.”

“Hey,” Dragon said, pausing for a moment before deciding how to word her request. “Give yourself a little slack, alright? The whole self flagellated martyr routine is, ya know,  _satisfying_ , but it’s not going to do you any good in the long run.” With the mask in the way, it seemed as if the woman was woefully lacking in ways of showing affection, but the way she leaned her head against Fireheart’s conveyed an obvious intent. “Same with her… same with me. We could ‘what if’ and kick ourselves for our mistakes all day- it doesn’t stop us from making new ones. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us. We’ve still got a war to win.”

With a nod, Winter handed off her bowl to Terry. “Flynt, about those extra hands.”

“Follow me,” he said, jerking his head.

* * *

Ruby ran a hand across the map of Mistral, scanning for the landmark Blake mentioned. At the rate they were going, the White Fang would likely reach them by sundown, which meant they could either try assaulting the base in the dead of night- relying on the Faunus’ night vision to guide them- or wait until daybreak. Both had their up and down sides.

Briefly, her gaze flicked over to her empty bed roll, again wondering where the woman who’d occupied it the night before had gone. Ruby thought she’d return before Winter awoke but, given the coat and weapon tossed in the corner, she assumed she’d been wrong.

At least, she  _hoped_ the soldier had left of her own will. Although she and Yang had made it clear to everyone that no rash actions would be tolerated, she also knew her tribemates and how deeply their hatred of Atlesians ran. Getting them to play nice with the few outsiders they’d already had join them provided a moderate challenge- Pyrrha, Flynt, a few others- but there were ways to offset that.

For Winter, though… well, they wouldn’t know until it happened, likely.

Focusing on the maps again, she pulled forward the one that showed Mistral and Atlas, beginning to do the math to ensure they’d have enough food and fuel to reach their target and get back.

She looked up when she heard someone pull back the tent flap but returned to her work when it turned out to be Yang.

“Hey, Rubes…” Her sister seemed… uncomfortable, for some reason. “I think you’re right.”

“About what?”

“Winter.” With a furrow to her brow, she looked up in time to catch the thoughtful frown on Yang’s expression, how she seemed to be wrestling with the words. “She recognized Pyrrha.”

That was something they’d considered might happen but didn’t give too much thought. Although formerly of the Mistrali augmentation forces, Pyrrha had no qualms with fighting against Atlas Command and never seemed to be recognized or even sought by the Atlesian forces. “What happened?”

“She apologized. Realized what Atlas does to those it harvests.” She shook her head. “It’s easier to hold them accountable when I think they know  _exactly_ what they’re doing, but Winter’s just… she never asked questions because she had no reason to and now every truth she uncovers is just… it’s a blow.” Instantly, Ruby heard the same diatribe no doubt running through her sister’s head- Raven absolutely detested the augmentation forces, believing them traitors to their kingdoms and family. They didn’t learn until they’d saved Pyrrha what really happened- how special Atlesian squads would go to the ramshackle schools and test teenagers, determining those who showed a proficiency for combat would be recruited into the augmentation forces. The ones who refused… were never heard from again. Yang had adopted her mother’s position regarding any who would support the Atlesian military until Pyrrha. Then, she changed. “I think she’s taking it harder than she lets on.”

“You’re probably right,” she replied, noting that Pyrrha had joined them after speaking with someone outside. “I told you; I saw her when she had that first realization. It almost destroyed her- she’s not the heartless monster we thought she was. She’s one of us now, just… lost and trying to make it right.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Yang sighed. “And I think you know what that means.”

A smile curled her lips as she chuckled and got to her feet. Why her sister wanted  _her_ to do it remained a point of contention but they could have that argument some other time. “Fine. Can you finish figuring out how much fuel we’re going to need? I wrote down the technical specs Blake got for us.”

“Yeah, I got it.” As they traded places, Ruby grabbed her mask and set it in place, flipping up her hood. “Which one are you going to pick?”

“I’m going with the obvious,” she replied, heading over to a trunk that had sat in Raven’s tent back in the tribelands for years. A gift, of sorts, from Blake’s parents, containing the same masks that many of them wore. The majority were of a mass produced variety- the same mould, the same markings- but a few were made special, and they’d figured out how to replicate the designs in the event they needed more. Shifting a few aside, she found the one she wanted, briefly lingering on the Ursa mask that was meant for Yang before closing the trunk. “This one.”

Yang raised a brow. “A Beowolf?”

“Seems appropriate,” Pyrrha said, sitting down beside her girlfriend and leaning into her side.

Although she’d recovered from her near death experience, sometimes bringing it up- and the tumultuous months that followed- wore on the Mistrali native and her sister for different reasons. It often required the two to just… spend some quiet time together. Ruby understood that and left them to it, going off in search of Winter.

She slipped through the camp, nodding to those who acknowledged her and speaking only when her input was needed. For the most part, those who’d banded together and formed the resistance understood the unspoken hierarchy. The tribe sat near the top, purely because of familiarity; they were the ones who would act as the go between for others and the leaders. Then came the Mistrali natives who weren’t born or inducted into the tribe, most of whom were content to attend to whatever task needed to be done and passing off the information or finished product to the tribe. They saw Ruby and the others, acknowledged them politely, but didn’t make a point to strike up a conversation. Then, of course, came the Atlesians- those of mixed heritage or defected from the ranks of the Atlesian military, and it seemed to be a mostly self imposed position. No one outright told them to be the ones handling the heavy lifting or attend to the mundane or time consuming tasks, they just…  _did_. For some, it seemed to be par for the course, not too different from their previous skill set. For others? It read almost like penance, as if by doing whatever the resistance asked could somehow make up in part for Atlas Command’s crimes.

Considering her understanding of Winter, she expected the woman to be doing exactly that and wasn’t disappointed when she found her setting up tents for the impending arrival of the White Fang, standing in a long chain as they passed off supplies to be put in the already erected tents. White summons milled about, Beowolves carrying whatever they could fit in their jaws, Nevermores zipping to and fro with little things, a Barbatusk weighed down with heavy bags hanging from its tusks.

So soon after recovering from aura exhaustion, that  _had_ to be wearing her thin.

“Heya, Rose!” Flynt called out, waving a hand from the bed of a truck they’d… acquired one way or another. Honestly, Nora tried telling her the story once but Ren distracted the woman and assured her the details were unimportant. The Atlesian jumped down and trot over, glancing back towards the line. “So… you really turned the Colonel, huh?”

“She doesn’t-”

“Yeah, I get that.” He shrugged. “Old habits.”

“Right.” She held up the mask. “Adjusting it might be easier?”

He raised a brow, considering the proposal for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, absolutely. It’s a good idea.”

Flynt gave her shoulder a pat and she proceeded towards the line, hoping she wouldn’t distract anyone too bad.

Luckily, Winter caught sight of her without breaking her rhythm, accepting and passing off a heavy bag without missing a beat. She looked… different, without the military coat or her hair up in a severe bun- less like a bureaucrat and more like someone ready to change the world with her bare hands if it came to that. Which, as it happened, it very well would, but the most striking thing was… the absence of the fear that had been so prominent before. It didn’t lurk behind her eyes or in the line of her shoulders.

Even if she hadn’t much to her at present, she looked… free. “Rose.”

“You catch on pretty quick,” she said, smiling behind her mask and holding up the one in her hand. “This is yours.”

For a brief moment, she faltered, but not enough to miss the next item that came down the line. “While I appreciate the sentiment, I’m afraid I must decline. When we fight our way into the Rehabilitation facility, I  _want_ them to see my face.”

Crashing a bit further up the line drew their attention as Terry stared, slack jawed, with a heavy bag laying at their feet. “You…  _can’t_ be serious.”

“I absolutely am,” Winter replied, straightening up a little.

“The moment you walk in there-”

“My mother will be alerted, I’m aware.” Blue eyes flicked to Ruby for a moment. “If they are to succeed, separating the fangs from the snake will only be a boon.”

For a moment, she froze. Although she’d known that the current matriarch of the Schnee line sat on the General Council, she hadn’t considered the ramifications of recruiting the eldest daughter into the resistance. The strike against Atlas Command would, one way or another, involve Winter’s mother and Ruby already had an understanding of the sort of power they would face.

“Winter.” Terry shook their head, perhaps a good deal more informed than she was in that regard. “You can’t beat her.”

“Again, I’m aware. But I  _can_ delay and distract her.” A mirthless chuckle left her lips. “We’re a stubborn lot. She won’t rush to defend Atlas Command if she’s busy dealing with me. All I must do is survive until Rose has done her part.”

For a moment, it looked like the two might start a full blown fight, and she had to cut it off now. “We can discuss your role in private.” Her gaze went to Flynt. “Take her spot?”

“Sure.” With little objection, Winter stepped out of line so he could take her place, Terry picking up the bag they dropped and the chain resumed.

“You’ll not dissuade me, if that’s your aim,” she said as they started walking towards the nearest empty tent. “This is the course I must take.”

“I don’t think ‘dissuade’ is the right word.” Ruby led the way into the tent, quickly slipping off her own mask and setting them both on a makeshift table before motioning for them to sit on the little rug in the center rug. Winter, what with Atlas being more prone to using chairs, looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment before joining her on the ground. “So, you’re coming with us when we assault Atlas Command.”

“It’s like you said; I’m one of you now.” She nodded, as if agreeing with herself on her line of reasoning. “The battle ahead will be one of the most difficult in Remnant’s history. I must do all I can to ensure you’re successful and pulling Mother’s attention away from the defense of Atlas Command is a step in that direction.”

“You’re really dead set on this heroic sacrifice thing, huh?” She shifted, pulling one knee into her chest and resting her chin atop it, arms wrapping around her leg. “Or are you just dead set against being an optimist?”

For a moment, it looked like she’d surprised the woman before she chuckled. “I suppose every idea I’ve come up with recently does tend to end with me dying one way or another. I’m not sure if that’s the case this time, though.” She looked away, a frown touching her lips. “I’m… honestly unsure if Mother will outright kill me. Some part of me wants to believe she’ll see as I have, listen to reason… but, she’s also sat on the Council for years. She’s watched and even ordered some of these atrocities to be carried out and was surely consulted regarding Menagerie. If that didn’t change her mind… I don’t know that I can.”

“I can’t imagine what that must feel like.” Given the look that came over Winter’s face, she quickly continued. “I mean, even if my mom had somehow lived, she believed in treating everyone fairly. In letting people  _be_ people. I can’t think of anything I might’ve disagreed with her on- definitely nothing where a fight to the death would be necessary.” She offered a small smile. “I mean, there’s things I disagreed with  _Raven_ over, but… that’s different.”

“Did she treat you differently than she treated Yang?”

Ruby saw the topic change for what it was but opted to play along- at least for the moment. “It’s hard to explain. Raven had a… weird relationship with Mom. Yang kinda… doesn’t like talking about it because it’s hard; she thinks of both of them as ‘Mom’ at points and doesn’t like pitting them against each other.” She shrugged, playing with the hem of her sleeve for a moment. It helped, because she didn’t have memories to rely on the way Yang did; she only had her sister’s stories and Raven’s brief but clipped comparisons. “I know that Mom’s death really upset Raven. Dad’s, too, but I think Raven and Mom were basically in a neverending argument and dying meant neither side could win. Or, something like that- because Raven always said she only ever dealt with anyone outside of Mistral because she was trying to prove a point. Never really specified, though; she had a tendency to keep things close, secret. And look at everyone else as the enemy. So she looked at me like… well, like I was supposed to  _be_ Summer, like a reincarnation of her, and I don’t think I ever lived up to that.”

Winter nodded slowly, looking away for a moment as if debating what to say next. “If I may ask, how did Raven die?”

“In the most anti-climactic way possible; she died of pneumonia about six years ago.” She couldn’t help the chuckle that left her lips- not that she felt anything but sorrow at the woman’s passing, because for all that she wasn’t the most loving or lovable person in the world, Raven  _did_ take care of them, protected them since they showed up, wet and shivering, in the tribelands all those years ago. “I think it pissed her off more than anything. Mom at least went down fighting but Raven? It was just… something so mundane, but what made it deadly was that we didn’t have the medical supplies at the time. Atlas, well, they’re pretty strict and guard medicine supplies rigorously. By the time we’d stolen the drugs, it was already too late for her.” Ruby made a gesture towards the masks. “The plan to attack Atlas Command- it was her idea from the beginning. My uncle got her in contact with leaders from all across Remnant and everything. I think, somehow,  _this_ was supposed to win the argument in her favor, or maybe not… but in the end, it doesn’t matter. We’re the ones who’re left; tt’s our job to follow through with the plan now.”

In the silence that followed, her mind turned to Uncle Qrow, whom she hadn’t seen in the flesh for years. Last she heard, he was somewhere in Vale looking for some sort of trump card, but he had a bad habit of falling out of contact and Yang had made the bet that they’d hear from him on the ride to Atlas Command. Both of them agreed it might be for the best.

Ruby looked up at unexpected laughter, noting the woman seemed just as surprised as she did. “I apologize; I didn’t intend to make light of the circumstances.” Tilting her head seemed to be enough to coax more of an explanation from Winter, a wry smile curling her lips. “I find it amusing, I suppose, the differences between us. Since I was very young, I have been drilled in living up to the family legacy, walking the same path as my mother did. Mother charged me with looking after my siblings- my first batch of little soldiers. It was my job to keep track of them, ensure they stayed out of trouble and the like.” Her expression fell a little. “I find it ironic that, between the two of us, we’ve both been expected to become the woman who came before us, and while I’ve failed, I couldn’t be happier. At the same time, in order to protect Remnant, I must turn my back on the first people I was supposed to protect.”

“I guess that’s the benefit to being the  _little_ sister.” She chuckled. “It was Yang’s job to look after  _me_. Pretty sure I didn’t make it easy for her.”

“With as much trouble as you’ve caused? I don’t doubt it.” Winter’s expression turned somber as she looked away. “I do wonder, though, if they’ll understand what I’ve done. I know Mother won’t; she’s dedicated her life to the military. To suggest that she’s been wrong all these years… we’re all exceptionally proud. We learned it from her, but I’ve never quite met her expectations when it comes to following her footsteps. I think this is proof of that.” Pain flashed in her eyes. “Still, I’ll miss them. Perhaps we were wrong, perhaps we lived while others suffered and felt sorry for ourselves because of burdens manufactured by our own designs… but I’d like to think they’ve got good hearts and that it’s not wrong to still love them.”

“Well, maybe they’ll understand.” She offered, trying to be reassuring. “I mean, Yang… has a lot of reasons to dislike the Atlesian military, but she listened to me when I said we could trust you and Flynt.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she remembered her insults from a few days prior. “I… know I kinda… said you weren’t a good sister before but, I mean, that’s not the case. You’re probably a great big sis!”

The raised brow she received in response… wasn’t exactly encouraging. “After you brought them up, I called them. One acted entirely too surprised to hear from me and the other had abandoned his post and gone back to Atlas without my knowledge. I don’t think that’s a mark in my favor.”

“Hey, I got captured by the military, and Yang’s  _still_ a great big sis.” She shrugged. “Just don’t expect the bridge has already burned, that’s all I’m saying. They probably look up to you.”

“And what an example I’ve set.” Her heart went out to the woman. She obviously cared very deeply- about her siblings, about being a good role model, about being a protector. Finally seeing the world for what it was had completely… broken her, in a way Ruby hadn’t anticipated it could.

But she could think of a way to start building her up again.

“Speaking of examples.” She leaned over and grabbed the Beowolf mask and held it out. “If you really want to start setting the right one, here. These are how we identify each other all over Remnant and, if we succeed, there’s going to be a lot of people who are going to  _want_ to do the right thing. Flynt’s entire company is proof- there are Atlesians out there who are just as fed up with Atlas Command as we are. And they’ll need one of their own to show them the way.”

Although reluctant, Winter accepted the mask, turning it over in her hands. “You realize there’s a high chance I won’t survive the assault, correct?”

“Look, I know you’re a bit keen on dying, but could you maybe  _try_ to be a little more positive?” Ruby smirked. “I mean, you’ve made it this far, right? Don’t you hope for a better outcome?”

“Even if I do, that does me little good-”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She waved a hand to either side of her. “Hope is what brought all this together, a hope for a better world. For freedom, for life- hope, sometimes, is all we have, and what we can build on it is stronger than any Paladin or Knight- it’s  _bulletproof_.” Then she chuckled. “But, if it appeals to your morbid sensibilities, we also recognize that hope is better than the truth, sometimes. We wear the masks and use codenames so, if it comes to it, we can be… replaced. Yang’s pretty unique, but throw that mask of hers on anyone and call them ‘Dragon’, and most of the resistance wouldn’t know the difference. Hell,  _you_ mistook her for Raven.” A shrug. “It’s a system that works.”

“Pragmatism, now  _that_ is something I understand.” With a bit of a sigh, the woman put the mask on, the white strands of her hair almost melting into the white of the mask. The fangs extended about halfway down her cheek, not so much as to be threatening but certainly lending a more serious air that the regular masks. “There. And what shall I be called?”

Ruby smirked. “Wolf, of course.” As Winter shook her head, trying to hide her smile, something else occurred to her. “Are you going to wear your uniform during the attack?”

“Not fully; I’m afraid I didn’t bring much in the way of changes for clothing but I’ll not be putting my coat on again.” Her jaw tightened, and Ruby suddenly found herself missing the full range of expression in the woman’s face and eyes especially. “It’s a symbol of who I  _used_ to be.”

“I can understand wanting a new look. You definitely don’t have the fear in your eyes anymore.”

A thoughtful hum. “I think, perhaps, some part of me has always known. I was afraid of confronting it- and myself, by extension.” She tilted her head. “I thank you for breaking me of that.”

“No problem! But, uh… it’s… going to be cold in Atlas.” Her gaze lingered rather pointedly on the woman’s bare arms, the cut of her vest pressing close and leaving remarkably little room for any sort of padding beneath that might help keep her warm.

“We’re trained to weather it; Mother drilled us in cold weather survival when we were able to walk. I’ve lost some of my tolerance after living here in Mistral but I’m sure, in the heat of battle, I’ll not even think about the cold.” Winter waved a hand dismissively and got to her feet. “Is there anything else? I feel like there’s much work to be done and I’d rather get back to it.”

“Well, are you even fully rested?” Reaching over, she grabbed her own mask and started fastening it in place. “I mean, you were pretty wiped yesterday-”

“That was yesterday.” She turned and started for the tent flap. “I’ll be fine.”

Now, the stubborn big sister routine happened to be something she was intricately familiar with, especially given Yang’s fighting style, so she immediately followed, flipping up her hood as she went.

No doubt she’d need to be a bit of a babysitter until she could trust their newest ally not to overwork herself.

* * *

Winter puffed out a breath, having adjusted to seeing through the eye slits of the mask rather well but struggling with being unable to touch half her face. Such a simple action yet she found her fingers scrambling against the hardened ceramic every few minutes. However, bearing the trinket  _did_ have a profound effect- on everyone. Flynt and his company seemed to hold their heads a little higher, and that bit of pride and camaraderie made their work go quicker. Meanwhile, the others milling about the camp were more likely to pitch in if they were passing through or ask for help if they, themselves, were struggling. Whatever the mask signified to the resistance- for she didn’t think ‘hope’ to entirely encapsulate it- it carried significant weight.

Yet, not as much as she felt falling on her shoulders with every glance from silver eyes.

Rose- Ruby, honestly, she couldn’t tell which would be more appropriate within the confines of her mind, even if she understood that the mask’s presence denoted the code name aloud- kept a close eye on her for the duration of setting up the rest of the camp, beige camo netting spread over their tents to blend everything into the rocks of the canyon.

Normally, she’d be highly uncomfortable with such scrutiny but, with how often the woman came hurrying over when it  _looked_ like she might be carrying something a bit too heavy for her, Winter could admit she found it a bit charming. Despite having her attention pulled at least twenty different ways, she managed to always be there when the soldier needed to readjust her grip or steady something while waiting for others to move. It showed an unspoken dedication and attention- compassion, that was the word. If she hadn’t been slightly fibbing when she brushed off Ruby’s concerns, she might’ve found it insulting to be on the receiving end of such attention. As it stood, she had to smile and accept it, dismissing her summons to conserve her strength.

Besides, she found herself paying more attention to other things, like hierarchy and the way people interacted with each other. Among those flitting about the camp, she’d caught sight of Ilia a few times, and her presence drew neither concern nor surprise from anyone. She could chalk that up to familiarity but it seemed to go deeper, especially when Flynt accidentally bumped into her and they talked for a brief moment before parting.

Everyone seemed… at ease. Despite the threat looming ahead of them, their spirits ran high, and there were no orders- at least, not in the way she understood them. At some point, Dragon and Fireheart had reappeared, and while they directed people as before, it wasn’t with the same authority Winter had ordered her soldiers. Simple things like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, ‘would you’ and ‘could you’, offers to help that were sometimes turned down- though they stood as the leaders they were, in a sense, not much different from any other. At least, not in terms of getting their hands dirty.

“Rose!” One of the others- pink hair, a bounce in her step, answered to ‘Sloth’- came running, holding a pack of some sort. “Found it!”

“Oh, great! Hey, Wolf!” Winter looked up as she was beckoned over. “Come here!”

Adjusting to the codename came easily- after Azulen, she heard it often, usually in hushed voices or an occasional quip from Terry- but it’s new meaning gave her… something. Undefined it may be, she could feel it running through her, bolstering her just a bit, and she even found the energy to lightly jog over to Rose and the others.

“You sure about this?” Dragon asked, arms crossed over her chest.

“Yep!” Rose replied, though she seemed to pause thoughtfully. “As long as you’re okay with it.”

It remained impossible to read the woman’s expression due to her mask but Winter could feel the look directed at her- not filled with malice or irritation as before, but weighted, considering. “Yeah. I’m cool with it.”

Nodding, she reached into the pack and pulled out a bundle of white cloth, offering it towards Winter. “Here! This’ll keep you warm when we go to Atlas.”

“That’s really not necessary-”

“I insist!” Reluctantly, she reached forward, only for it to be pulled out of her reach. “On one condition, of course. That you give it back after we return to Mistral.”

Thankfully, her own mask hid her rolling eyes. At this point, she understood that refusing didn’t happen to be an option. “Yes, very well, I agree.”

“Great!”

Now allowed to take the bundle, she shook it out to reveal a cloak much like the one Rose herself wore, albeit in white, and with very faint stains. While dust could do many things, maintaining pristine white cloth after repeated use happened to be a  _bit_ further than what one could ask for, and she’d thrown out more than enough uniforms to know that fact.

Still, she slung it around her shoulders while Rose passed the pack back to Sloth. “I’ll admit I’m curious as to why you have two of these. I’ve never heard of you wearing anything but red.”

“Oh, that’s not mine. It was Summer’s.” Her hands stopped, not yet tying it around her neck, her gaze snapping to see the seriousness and sincerity in silver eyes that didn’t belie the softness of her voice. “It’s the only thing we have to remember her by.” Then, she reached up, finishing the task of tying the cloak in place, using a pin much like the one she wore on her belt to keep it there. “You obviously take keeping your word seriously and this means a lot to me. Seems like this is the only way I can make sure you plan on coming back.”

“Rose-”

“Too late!” She stepped back, looking Winter over and obviously trying to hold back her amusement. “Uh, I guess Mom wasn’t as tall as you are.”

Looking down, she saw that the hem of the cloak brushed the top of her calves rather than the bottom like Rose’s and her hands fell to her side, curling into fists. “I  _will_ give this back to you.”

“I know you will.” She turned. “Now, c’mon. It’s almost sundown; we need to head to the landing zone and link up with Cat’s White Fang.”

_That_ caught her off guard. “They’re coming here?”

“Yeah, of course.” Dragon paused, waving a hand. “Uh, don’t worry about that assassination stuff. I’m sure it’ll be fine. You mentioned it to her, right Rose?”

The woman came to a dead stop. “…  _actually_ …”

“Cat’s not one to act rashly,” Fireheart said, glancing towards Winter. “The assassination order notwithstanding- I’m sure she’ll listen to our explanation before attacking.”

“That’s not exactly comforting,” she replied dryly but squared her shoulders. “But you’re overthinking it; I simply thought they’d remain in Menagerie. I’m not concerned about their reaction to me.”

“Really?” Sloth tilted her head, the warhammer she carried with her everywhere slung across her shoulders while her arms hung over top of it, the man who seemed perpetually at her side heading over towards them. “Not even a  _little_ bit?”

“Of course not.” She offered a smirk. “Their quarrel is with the Colonel.  _I’m_ just a Wolf.”

“Ha!” She laughed, shifting the hammer. “That’s one way of looking at it!”

Her expression smoothed out when she noticed Ruby hadn’t quite relaxed, obviously debating if she should be present to meet the others. “More seriously, their ire is rightly deserved but I doubt anyone who’s planned this attack so meticulously, has placed so much on the line, will react rashly when confronted with me appearing as an ally. I don’t expect them to trust me but they needn’t for us to succeed. They just need to know not to shoot me.”

Silently, she added a ‘yet’, because she had a sneaking suspicion someone might try once the dust had settled.

The way silver eyes narrowed, however, made her think she hadn’t been quite silent enough with that amendment.

“Our scouts have visual on Cat’s airships.” Horse informed them while nodding at Sloth. “We should move.”

“Right!” Rose grabbed her own weapon, the giant scythe she’d been rumored to use collapsing down into a more manageable size for the time being while Dragon handed Winter her sword. “Let’s go!”

Idly, she considered the cloak might be too heavy to wear in Mistral, especially after a day spent doing hard labor… but she didn’t dare remove it as she fell into step beside Fireheart.


	8. Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a huge thanks to AraneaValon, without whom this story would not exist. I just finished writing the whole thing earlier this week, so this update schedule will continue (baring unforeseen circumstances... like my poor memory, lol). Thanks everyone who's enjoyed the story so far!

Ruby lead the way through the canyon, following a trail Nora and Ren had marked earlier to reach the area they’d designated for Blake’s airships to land. It wouldn’t be ideal- they didn’t have the sort of supplies to hide that many airships from a passing patrol- but they just needed a little luck to make it through the night. By tomorrow’s sunset, they should be almost to Atlas with a fleet of fully stocked airships.

“So  _that’s_ why you wanted to believe she’d turned so bad.”

“Huh?” Blinking, she looked beside her, knowing by her sister’s body language that she was smirking and smug. While Nora and Ren had gone on ahead, Pyrrha and Winter trailed, spreading themselves out with the sisters in the middle. At this point, it was habit to move as tactically as possible. “What are you talking about?”

She jerked her head behind them. “You’ve got a crush on Wolfie over there.”

“Wol- what?” Quickly, she reached out and stiffened her arm, lightly shoving Yang away. “Oh, come off it. You’re just sore because I was right-  _again_.”

“Sore? Me? Nah.” A shrug, glancing behind them again. “I mean, once you get past the reputation and the constant gloom and doom, she’s not that bad to look at-”

“I swear to the Maidens and beyond, I  _will_ shoot you.”

“I can take it.” Her sister shrugged off the idle threat. “Besides, your cheeks wouldn’t be  _that_ color if I was wrong.”

She stopped, a bit of panic rising in her chest. “Wait, I’m blushing?” Then, it hit her. “My cheeks are covered.”

Yang pat her shoulder lightly. “It’s alright; now we can think of the most important battle of our lives as a double date, too!”

“Ya- Dr- argh!” Failing to vocalize anything substantial, Ruby marched forward, brushing past her sister and not bothering to look back. “We aren’t talking about this!”

“You know, the longer you spend pretending you’d give just  _anyone_ Summer’s cloak, the harder this’ll be for everyone!”

First off, she mentally ranted simply so the conversation could end, they’d specifically collected up enough supplies so every member of the resistance heading across the sea would have the appropriate clothing. On top of everything else working against them, it seemed like such a small, avoidable thing to get everyone a coat so they could properly focus. Being a late addition and refusing to don her only uniform, Winter provided a unique challenge that had forced her to be a bit creative.

Secondly… okay, she  _could_ admit that she found the woman’s steely resolve admirable. Before, she’d cursed it, because it seemed to be tied to her loyalty to Atlas. However, she obviously had a greater loyalty to her own principles and ideals and, now that they were aligned as allies, Ruby didn’t think it should be noteworthy that she found herself liking just how stubborn Winter could be. Even the little fight- brief though it was- she put up when accepting the cloak was cute-

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and raised a hand to her temple. Yang was getting into her head, that’s all. She respected and admired all her allies, her friends. A new addition to their ragtag crew didn’t automatically qualify as a ‘crush’ just because her sister seemed to think it.

“Something troubling you?”

“No!” She stiffened slightly, looking at Ren with wide eyes. “Why?”

“Well, you’re walking fast enough to catch up to us, so…” Nora gestured behind them-  _far_ behind them, where the other three walked at a slower but determined pace. “That usually only happens when you’re in your head again.”

“There’s a lot going on, that’s all.” Shaking her head, she looked ahead of them to where the last of the airships were setting down, the low drone of their engines cutting out as soon as safely possible. “Come on. Cat’s waiting for us.”

In a flurry of rose petals, she rushed ahead, relieved to see Ilia had gone with the scouts to receive the White Fang. That  _should_ mean Blake already knew the situation and they could avoid any sort of unpleasantness and skip straight to planning out their assault.

“Hey, Rose.” The Faunus greeted, her own horned mask in place as she raised a hand to indicate the straggler ship. “Cat should be landing now.”

“She brought up the rear?” Worry touched her heart but she remained calm; no one else seemed alarm, so she shouldn’t react  _just_ yet.

“While we were crossing Mistral, we encountered another Atlesian airship.” She recognized the voice from several discreet calls made over the years- at first whenever Blake missed home and then when the Faunus happened to be away and had either parent cover for her in the meantime. Despite not being able to see beyond the white King Taijitu mask covering her face, Kali’s body language looked a bit more on edge and worn than the last time they’d talked, something in the way she kept looking around at the canyon walls worrying Ruby. “Cat peeled off to deal with them and just caught up.”

She couldn’t help but wince. That would probably upset Winter, though she couldn’t begin to guess  _how_ she might react. Probably with that sorrowful acceptance that seemed to accompany so many of her actions of late. “Did everyone make it?”

“Thankfully, yes.” Ghira stepped off a ramp, coming to stand beside his wife and she could  _definitely_ hear the frown that curled his lips beneath the black half. “We split ourselves up as best we could to maintain a hierarchy, but I’m glad it was unnecessary.”

They both looked uneasy, and she suspected it didn’t  _just_ have to do with their daughter not yet being present. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Mom, you look… tense.” Nora pointed out as she and Ren caught up. “It’s weird.”

Usually, hearing her codename- a running joke that they opted to adopt for other purposes because of the ease with which it could be worked into conversations, and none of them had living mothers anymore- would brighten Kali’s mood, but not this time.

“We were raised not far from here.” Kali sighed, leaning into her husband’s side as he put an arm around her shoulders. “We played in this very canyon as children.”

“We flew over the remnants of our village. The vegetation has reclaimed some of it but the scars are still there.” His voice rumbled, anger and pain mixing together. “It’s about time we returned home. I’m just sorry so few of us were  _able_ to return.”

Ruby glanced at Ren and Nora, who’d always connected with Blake’s parents due to that shared memory, even if their respective villages were on opposite sides of the kingdom. Watching the Atlesians send their soldiers and mechs through, destroying everything in sight, losing their home and so much more- it was burned into their bones. She could only guess at how they felt, denied the chance to have memories of the place Atlas had destroyed. “I’m sorry to pull you from it so quickly.”

“If we had the resources to fight a protracted war, we’d take back every inch after it’s been drenched in Atlesian blood.” Kali sighed, the fury bleeding from her voice. “But this is the better option. A quick and decisive strike to cripple them before we return home for good.”

Ghira nodded. “This time, we  _won’t_ surrender.”

Discreetly, she exchanged a glance with her friends, highly aware of who would be joining them any moment now. “Um, Mom, I know you have a  _very_ justified reason for hating Atlesians-”

“Rose!” Blake chose  _that_ moment to come around the airship, a small entourage behind her- including her ever present and sometimes unnerving bodyguard. The moment she could, she removed the Yaguara mask covering the top half of her face and smiled. Unlike the rest of them, the Faunus very much disliked wearing the masks unless absolutely necessary, complaining that they limited her vision. “Ruby. And here I thought we’d be late- there’s a lot that we…” She trailed off upon catching sight of Ilia. “Did… you…”

“No, I didn’t carry out the assassination.” Ilia crossed her arms over her chest, looking at once annoyed and pleased with that fact. “Both of them are still alive  _and_  on our side. Supposedly.”

Ruby watched as Blake’s shoulders dropped, clear and plain…  _relief_ showing in her expression.

And, for whatever reason, her parents seemed to be on the same page, with Ghira’s voice sounding a little hopeful and  _very_ conflicted. “So, the Colonel-”

“Actually, I prefer ‘Wolf’ nowadays.” Attention shifted to Winter as she, Yang, and Pyrrha joined them, and she reached up to remove her mask as she spoke. “I realize that it’s not much comfort but I have no intention of carrying out the extermination order and I’ve done everything in my power to try and stop it. I’m sorry that it took me so long to see the error of my ways and Atlas’ flaws.”

Kali chuckled, though it didn’t seem malicious in the slightest. “Sounds like you’ve been rehearsing that.”

“Well, I  _did_ have the walk out here to think of what I should say.” She pressed her lips into a thin line. “Words can only do so much, I know that, and I hope to prove myself true in the trials to come.”

Ghira nodded, looking entirely at ease. “Something tells me you’ll do fine.”

Ruby looked between the Faunus, Winter- anyone and everyone, because she’d… somehow missed something amidst all this.

“Sienna,” Blake said over her shoulder. “Bring her around.”

“Who? What?” She spread her hands, looking over at her sister to see Yang just as confused. “I-I thought you’d be, ya know… a  _little_ upset!”

“Remember the ‘reasons’ I mentioned before, when I was talking about hoping you’d actually gotten through to the Colonel?” The Faunus turned, waving a hand. “ _She_ is why. This is the Atlesian intelligence officer who helped us gather the airships with minimal losses.”

Ruby heard the sharp gasp from Winter, could see plainly the hope shining in blue eyes and that- that alone made so much worth it, because she could tell that ‘hope’, in its most distilled form, was an alien concept to the Atlesian. She’d probably never hoped for anything in earnest throughout her life, convinced things could only be one way- the Atlas way, regardless of how well or ill that boded. But here, now, she hoped with everything she had, and was rewarded when a woman an inch shorter than Ruby herself made her way through the throng of White Fang, wearing the unmistakable uniform of an Atlesian officer, high necked white jacket and all.

* * *

Winter didn’t want to think it. Couldn’t, because it would  _crush_ her to be wrong. Yet, she couldn’t help but hope that she recognized the soldier about to step through the throng.

It quite nearly winded her when she did.

“Blake, I don’t know why-” Weiss- because it could be no one else wearing her ponytail offset, white hair trailing behind her as it did, because she’d  _never_ taken to buns the way Mother insisted- stopped short upon seeing her, ripping off the Boarbatusk mask covering the top half of her face by one tusk and staring in slack jawed amazement.

It almost strangled her, trying to speak and breath, unable to believe that somehow, through all the things that had happened, she could really be standing in the middle of White Fang Faunus and the Mistrali resistance with her sister. “Weiss…”

“Winter- you-” Tears welled in her eyes before she sprinted forward and threw herself into Winter’s chest in a hug that quite nearly bowled her over. “You’re  _here_ , after I’ve spent the past  _week_  trying figure out what to do, you just-  _you could’ve told me!_ ”

“I’m… embarrassed to say my revelation came relatively recently.” She wrapped her arms around her sister, eyes shutting tight as she tried to hold back tears of her own. She didn’t think it possible- how could she?- but, here she was, with a mask of her own, both of them fighting towards the same goal. “You didn’t say anything a few days ago.”

“A few days ago, I believed a peaceful solution was still possible.” They both drew back and she could see in Weiss’ eyes that looked so much like her own, the revulsion and deep rooted terror not only at what  _could_ have happened but who would be charged with carrying it out. “But that- that’s not important right now. We’ve a lot to do and a short time to do it, especially if…”

 _If we’re to fight Mother_ \- she didn’t need to say the words, but the way her left hand twitched towards the sword at her side. A gift from the woman, much like her own, and a constant reminder of what was expected of both of them.

Expectations neither planned to meet.

“Right.” They both nodded and stepped back, pointedly looking elsewhere, though Winter cleared her throat a moment later. “I’m glad you’re safe- well, relatively speaking, of course.”

“I’m just glad that… I didn’t lose you,” Weiss replied, and she looked back in time to see her sister scrubbing away any evidence of tears. “I mean…” Summoning her courage, their gazes met again. “If you’d gone through with the order…”

Confliction showed plain in her expression, always more expressive than Mother would approve of and wearing her heart on her sleeve, but in this moment Winter felt nothing but gratitude. She wasn’t alone in struggling between her love for her family and her sense of right and wrong.

“I understand. One good decision doesn’t absolve me of all the  _other_ orders I followed, though.” Reaching out, she put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “You would be right to condemn me, just as we’re right to join this fight. We… must make the distinction between our personal feelings and what’s best for Remnant.” She took a steadying breath. “At this point, we’re the only family we have left; it’s the best way to look at our current situation.”

Despite the way her expression crumbled- because, though she hadn’t seen eye to eye with their mother, some part of Weiss always wanted her approval, an elusive thing that even Winter herself doubted existed sometimes- Weiss nodded resolutely and stepped back, bending down to scoop up their masks. They’d both dropped them sometime between seeing each other and embracing but now reclaimed them while retreating to their respective sides.

“… is she always that… serious?” After affixing her mask in place, Winter looked over to see the cat Faunus with white Taijitu mask leaning towards Dragon, but not making a concerted effort to be discreet.

“Yeah,” Rose replied with a chuckle. “You get used to it.”

“Well, you needn’t worry about lacking in family,” the larger one with the black mask said, holding out his hand. “We’ve too few allies to be anything  _less_ than family at this point.”

Winter hesitated for only a moment, noted Weiss’ encouraging nod, and then made to shake his hand. However, he grasped her forearm instead and pulled her forward… into a hug.

Almost immediately, Rose laughed. “Dad, I think you’re scaring her!”

“She’ll warm up to it.” He chuckled, releasing her and clapping her on the shoulder. She hadn’t quite noticed how much he towered over her until right then. “Cub did.”

“Is that  _really_ what you’re going to call me?” Weiss at least  _tried_ to sound a bit dignified in her objection, though it still sounded a bit like a whine.

“Well, in light of the circumstances, ‘Pup’ would be more appropriate.” Mom laughed, setting a hand on Dad’s arm and lightly separating them. “We  _should_ get moving, though. I think Tiger is getting impatient.”

“I would argue I’m merely remaining skeptical.” The one called Sienna before, standing off to the side and wearing a Lancer mask, scoffed. “We’re really to believe the highest ranking Atlesian in Mistral had a change of heart  _yesterday_?”

“Technically, it was  _two_  days ago, when she offered to release me from custody.” Rose quickly interjected, drawing the Faunus’ attention. “And I trust her. That  _should_ be enough.”

“Rose,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “I appreciate your vote of confidence but she’s right to be skeptical- and probably too kind. I’ve a long ways to go towards making amends before my past stops haunting me.”

Silver eyes flicked her way and they both stood their ground. She probably should’ve addressed it in private, so as to not undercut the woman’s authority, but Winter felt it imperative to acknowledge it publicly and often. The mistakes she’d made in her life would mean nothing if she didn’t learn from them. Ultimately, she suspected Rose understood that as well, as she didn’t continue the argument verbally but the look in her eyes promised the conversation wasn’t over.

Tiger made a considering noise. “They do have a way of pleading their cases. Must be hereditary.”

“Either way, it’s a good point.” Cat fixed her mask back in place, raiding her voice to catch everyone’s attention. “Leave ten here; we’ll rotate guards until the attack. Everyone else, fall in and move out.”

“Maybe I should-”

“No.” Cat set a hand on Weiss’ back, about midway down, and Winter found herself surprised by her sister’s lack of reaction to that. They’d always been a little… prone to avoiding physical contact when possible. “At least, not right now. We need to coordinate the assault, first.”

“Horse, Sloth, lead the way.” Rose turned her head as those two took off, a score of White Fang following them along with Tiger. “Dragon, Fireheart, you two cover the rear?”

“Sure.” A shrug from broad shoulders. “You and Wolf can take the middle.”

“Yeah. Right.” A nod before her attention shifted. “Mom, Dad?”

“I hope you don’t hold it against us,” Mom said, nodding towards her partner. “We’re rather keen on stretching our legs.”

Rose nodded and the two, along with another group of White Fang, took off in a run after waiting a minute more, allowing for a  _little_ space between the groups. “Cat? Cub?”

“After you,” the Faunus replied, turning her attention to her troops. “The majority of you, go with them. We’ll only need a few squads to stay back and there’s food at the camp.”

Their spirits lifted at that promise as Winter fell into step beside Rose, the two starting to follow the trail back. They became surrounded by White Fang, their relatively nondescript masks covering the top half of their faces. She supposed it marked them as regular members of the Remnant wide resistance though she couldn’t recall many instances when suspected resistance members had them in their possession. It cemented even further in her mind that they absolutely must succeed, for everyone’s sake.

“So, that’s your sister?”

“Yes,” she replied, once again feeling the urge to cry but managing to keep hold of her emotions. It wouldn’t do them any good for her to start bawling out of sentimentality. “I can honestly say I’ve never been happier to see her.”

“Well, I guess that settles it.” At her questioning glance, Rose elaborated. “What we talked about earlier- you didn’t know if you set the right example, but it sounds to me like both of your siblings are pretty committed to following their own paths, even if it goes against what others expect of them.” Even though she couldn’t see it, she could hear the smile in her voice. “I’d say you raised them right.”

“I suppose I did.” She hadn’t thought of it in those terms. Whitley abandoning his post seemed more like chasing a whimsical fantasy than him following his own path, and his flippant remarks regarding the mine workers didn’t set her at ease. But, perhaps, if Weiss could come to her own conclusions, she had reason to hope he would, too.

“It’s a nice night.”

She blinked, looking at the woman beside her before raising her gaze. The sun had set but the sky remained tinged purple as the dying light faded, high clouds drifting lazily across the stars beginning to shine bright. Without the shattered moon to cast its light, the canyon became a sea of shadows, but she could see well enough. “It is. Would be good for a run, if you’re interested.”

“You think you can keep up?” Rose raised a brow.

Winter thought, briefly, of the red rose petals that scattered in her wake when she escaped from the base. However, she always had her glyphs, if it became a true competition. “I can certainly try. Besides, we have hungry allies.”

“That’s a good point.”

Two more steps before they both broke out into a run. Despite being shorter, Rose had a considerable stride, and Winter found herself controlling her breathing to prevent becoming winded and even calling on her glyphs a time or two to keep her pace up. Their cloaks flapped behind them as the White Fang broke out into a run themselves, their boots hitting the stone bouncing off the canyon- a stampede of warriors ready for a war.

She hadn’t ran alongside someone else in years. Fitness mattered, of course, but she would usually attend to it between her duties, alone, on a treadmill or in a gym. The night air filling her lungs, the pounding of others’ beside her, the burning in her legs- this was the feeling of belonging she’d thrown herself into all those years ago.

It felt good to have that again.

* * *

Ruby sat in the tent, casting her gaze around to the others. As a matter of course, they only had so much room in the tent, so Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora busied themselves elsewhere, doing final checks on equipment and watching the base. Sienna also found other things to do- likely overseeing the rotations- while Ghira went to talk with Flynt, curious about these new and unexpected allies.

That left her, Yang, Winter, Weiss, Blake, and Kali to develop the attack plan alongside their most knowledgeable source: Terry. Who… frankly, didn’t seem very keen on looking at their friend at the moment, pointedly ignoring the woman’s presence. Winter seemed to take it in stride, neither remarking on it nor drawing attention to herself. She’d argued with Ruby at first, believing she couldn’t offer as much tactical insight or useful information, but she ultimately conceded and sat beside Ruby with such straight posture it would make a statue jealous. Yang sat on her left, drumming her fingers against her knee while Terry pulled out a crude, hand drawn map of the interior of the Research Facility, setting it between them and the White Fang leaders.

“Atlas has the best defense grid in Remnant, capable of acknowledging and defeating threats from land, sea, and air,” Terry said, sitting back on their heels. Their helmet sat beside them, a contrast to the masks the rest of them had and looking a bit too much like the old Atlesian Knight’s head for the Faunus’ comfort. “However, to protect the secret nature of the facility, several of these systems are not used due their reliance on our surveillance network. Atlas Command is very strict about no manner of cameras  _anywhere_ near the facility.”

“I assume that means no automated Paladins or Knights.” Kali shifted slightly. “Those  _would_ be the systems you’re referring to, correct?”

“Yes. However, I’m afraid that doesn’t make our job any easier.” A sigh left their lips, brows drawing together as they pulled out the other map Ren drew, the one showing the shore and the terrain leading to Atlas Command. “This whole air space is patrolled by a full fleet of Atlesian airships- both the basic transport models and the larger, battle class ships. There’s also dozens of walking patrols and manned Paladins. Any attempt at an attack above ground would be a war of attrition, and the entire fleet will respond to an attack via air or sea as well.”

“I see.” Blake’s ears laid back as her lips tugged into a frown, brow furrowing. “So the plan is for you to use the rail line to reach Atlas Command while my White Fang fights this war, is that it?”

“You did say you wanted to get dirty.” Yang pointed out, though she didn’t seem pleased at all by the arrangement.

“As eager as we are to fight, this sounds like a lot more like a massacre.” She raised a hand, gesture back towards the canyon. “We hardly have a fleet, and not one outfitted for an all out aerial battle.”

“I know; we can’t win a fight in the air  _or_ on the ground, not without some serious firepower or a miracle.” Ruby hated the taste of defeat lingering on her tongue, acidic as it was. “We’re also not  _trying_ to win. All we need is to draw them away from Atlas Command.”

“Would a full battalion of Knights and a squad of Paladins tip the odds in our favor?”

She blinked and looked over at Winter, who seemed contemplative, as if she’d just remembered something but couldn’t quite place it.

“Well, it definitely couldn’t hurt,” Yang said, scratching idly at her jaw. “But it’s a bit late to go shopping.”

“Not if we take the shop with us.” Her brows pinched together. “It’s been a while since the last inspection but I have at least that on my flagship, if memory serves.”

“You have a  _what?_ ”

“All commanding officers are issued a personal airship, the class of which is determined by rank.” Weiss frowned, looking to her sister. “But, I’m not sure if we have time to return and retrieve it.”

“I left it here at the southwest base due to a… lack of adequate docking space at the central one.” She waved a hand dismissively. “I denied the proposal to build a suitable dock three years ago; it would’ve been entirely too costly in terms of space management and I hardly use the thing anyway.”

The woman frowned. “You mean, you’ve been chained to your desk for five years.”

“Regardless, your personal ship  _would_ be a helpful addition. If only I’d possessed such foresight” Terry coughed into their hand. “It will  _also_ draw a considerable amount of attention, though.”

“Let me worry about that.”

Silently, the two argued about something before both looked away, apparently at a stalemate.

“Even with the additional firepower, we’re still going to be outgunned and outmanned,” Ruby said, voice soft as she didn’t lose sight of Blake’s initial concern. She’d have to ask about the other stuff later. “We’re both going to lose a lot. I don’t like it but it’s the truth. There’s… only so much we can do, so we have to make sure what we’re able to do hits them where it  _hurts_.”

Blake swallowed hard, her ears flicking as she looked away- first to her mom, then to Weiss. She didn’t need to say the words for her to understand the thoughts going through her head but did anyway. “I understand. This is all or nothing.”

“We’re still trying to make it back, though.” Yang pointed out, her right hand curling into a fist atop her thigh. “This is no time to start thinking about throwing in the towel on the long game.”

“I know.” The Faunus straightened her posture, setting aside her concerns for the moment. “We’ve been preparing all our lives for this and there’s still plenty of work after we get back.” She blew out a short breath. “How should we approach?”

Getting down to the details hammered home the enormity of the task ahead of them. Not only would they need to dedicate the majority of their combined forces to the battle above ground but those who pushed through the facility would need to do so against staunch defenses. For a moment, she felt a tendril of doubt worm its way into her mind.

Atlas Command had stood as this ambiguous looming shadow in her mind’s eye for as long as she could remember, a far off place that spawned nothing but pain and nightmares- it almost seemed like something out of a fairytale. Too dark, too terrible to think it could really exist, despite the evidence of such literally surrounding her. But, now, she’d be facing it directly with the aim to take it all down, tearing at the seams until they came undone. It would take every ounce each of them had to give just to get that far, and then they’d need to get back, because even after cutting off the head of a snake, the poison of its bite could still kill, and there was no spot in all of Remnant they hadn’t sunk their fangs into by now.

“It’s natural to be scared.”

Blinking, she turned to look at Winter while the others continued questioning Terry about specific troop placements, the fleet formations, and which would be best way to tackle both while minimizing their losses. Blue eyes watched her with… patience, she thought, and understanding, though she tried her best to push down the doubts. “What makes you say that?”

“You’re a leader; you’re being strong for your soldiers.” Her eyes flicked over to the others. “But you’re also facing an impossible challenge and it’s only right to feel fear. It keeps you sharp and motivates you.”

She bit her lip, eyes flicking over to the others briefly. “Is it wrong that some part of me hopes we’ll pull this off without losing anyone?”

Raven used to roll her eyes about her optimism. Yang indulged it- to a point. The grim realities of their lives, their fight, their war often made it easier to acknowledge the difficulties and not mention the fallout until later. However, in the back of her mind, she always looked on the brighter side.

Winter remained silent, thoughtful, her own gaze pulled to her sister. “Yesterday, I would’ve said yes. Now, I’m beginning to see what hope has built.” Then, their eyes met. “Hope for the best. Be prepared for the worst. And remember that strength comes as much from within as those we surround ourselves with.” She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t think I even dared to hope Weiss could have the same change of heart. Perhaps that she wouldn’t hate me or that we’d never meet as adversaries, but I didn’t think it possible to expect more than that, yet she’s here. And I’ve seen what you can do.”

“I’m not sure if that’ll be enough.” Reaching up, she brushed through her bangs, drawing a few fingers over her right eye. The power that dwelled within, although incredible, drained her considerably. She’d likely only have enough for what she planned upon reaching Atlas Command, which meant being unable to assist with the battle elsewhere.

“I am.” She looked back, seeing steely resolve in blue eyes. “I put my trust in you and, thus far, it’s worked out rather well. We may lose people, those dear to us, but if we go into this fight with the hope we might not… I think that’s something worth holding onto.”

Although she felt a certain amount of apprehension… she  _had_ to ask. “Is that how you felt at Azulen?”

A shadow passed over her expression as she looked down. “I can’t say I knew any of those soldiers half as well as you know your allies. I’d only been stationed in Vacuo for two months when the attack came, and I acted as reinforcements- the closest available unit to bolster the defenses against the largest rebel attack the te- kingdom had ever seen. Until recently, anyway.” Her hand started to rub along her left thigh, as if soothing away an old injury. “I’ve never been in fighting so fierce. A constant onslaught, bombardments, all manner of improvised weaponry- there was no training for it. No manner of preparing.” She squared her shoulders. “Ultimately, I came to a point where I could either admit defeat to myself or throw everything I had left into the fight. Honestly, pride motivated me then; I don’t think that’s what motivates you now.” She smiled. “And I think you’re stronger for it.”

Ruby’s lips curled. “So… you have hope, huh?”

“I do.”

“I guess that counts for something.” She turned her attention back to the conversation, having absently followed along with one ear.

“Are you sure?” Kali exchanged a look with her daughter. “I’m sure Ghira or I could come with you.”

Yang shook her head. “We’ve game planned this. With an idea of where we’re going, we’ll move quicker with few people. Ruby, Pyrrha, myself, and a few of our tribe- that’s all we need.”

“You decided who we’re taking?” Ruby probed, already compiling a list of who she  _wouldn’t_ want to take into an enclosed space like that.

“Vernal, Shay, the twins, and Jek- just enough to cover us when we have to get down and dirty.”

“Plus Winter,” she said, noting the quick flash across her sister’s eyes and continued talking to avoid finding out what, exactly, it meant. “If we encounter any issues with Atlesian tech, Winter should be able to either fix it or find us a workaround. Right?”

“If by ‘workaround’ you mean ‘break it’ then, yes, that’s fairly easy.” Her eyes flicked over to Terry. “I’m sure you can handle anything the main force encounters.”

They pressed their lips into a tight line. “You’re a fool for trying this.”

“And I’d be a coward if I didn’t,” she replied, and something unspoken passed between them again that forced Terry to look away first.

“Then that’s all we need- a quick strike team while you draw the attention topside.”  Ruby ignored the squabble for the moment and pressed her lips into a thin line. “When we succeed, we’ll deal a major blow to Atlas. With their command structure compromised, our friends in Vacuo and Vale stand a good chance of liberating large parts of their kingdoms. Here in Mistral, we’ll have the biggest challenge, but there’s a chance Menagerie will be free when you get back there, too. Three out of four isn’t a bad outcome.”

“What will you do for Mistral?” Weiss looked over at her sister briefly but Winter remained silent. Obviously, she believed what happened with the kingdom didn’t rely on her input and so withheld it.

Yang had some thoughts, though. “We go back to the tribelands. Consolidate our forces, then push back out. Try to get as many of the Atlesians who were born here to join up with us instead of being recruited to replace those lost elsewhere. Reinstate the city-states and unify them under Ruby for the time being.”

“Then, we hope Atlas retreats.” She didn’t think it would happen, of course. Atlas would dig their claws in even deeper and fight to the bloody end. However, as long as they stood their ground in Mistral, Atlas wouldn’t try for Vacuo, Vale, and Menagerie. Once they’d built themselves back up, then Mistral would have allies to call upon for the fight. “Or we hold our ground until they do.”

Silence descended upon them until Blake’s ears twitched. “So. Tomorrow at dawn?”

“Unless you want to start early.” Ruby checked the single working scroll they still had. “One way or another, we have to be heading to Atlas by midday tomorrow.”

With a nod, she turned to her mother. “Let everyone know they have six hours to rest. We’ll move out as a forward advance ahead of everyone else.”

As everyone got to their feet- Terry, Weiss, and Winter being a bit slow, on account of their legs being asleep- Kali stepped around the maps to draw the latter into an embrace that entirely caught the woman off guard. Which… seemed to be something of a trend, now that she thought about it.

“Uh.” Winter looked over to her, as if expecting either assistance or an explanation, and received neither. Ruby just smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Ma’am?”

“In such turbulent times, we must take joy in the little victories while we can,” Kali replied, her ears laying back. “Weiss and Blake have been worried sick over this whole ordeal, not being sure of where, exactly, your loyalties lay or if you were alive. We hadn’t hoped for  _this_ good of an outcome.” When she pulled away, she had that same warm smile that had always brought a bit of comfort, even from an ocean away. “But now that it’s here, I want you to know that we’re glad to have you.”

“Thank you.” Although confused, the woman seemed to take it in stride, offering a small smile and looking towards her sister.

“Well aren’t you two peas in a pod.” Yang chuckled, running a hand through her hair. “One’s glad to see the enemy on our side and the other’s not holding a grudge over an assassination attempt.”

“Assassination attempt?” Weiss quirked a brow. “What assassination  _attempt_?”

Ruby immediately looked at Blake. “You didn’t tell her?”

“In my defense-”

“Wait, who-”

“Weiss.” Winter’s voice brooked no argument as she gently extricated herself from Kali’s hug to scoop up her mask. “We can discuss the matter outside.”

“But.”

“ _Now_.” Ruby watched as the woman brushed past her sister, who quickly grabbed her own mask and fastened it into place before following Winter out of the tent, Terry hot on their heels while putting on their helmet.

Yang put a hand to her face and sighed. “Blakey.”

“I  _was_ going to tell her.” Feline ears twitched as she grimaced. “I just wanted to know the outcome before I did. She was already worried sick about coming here, knowing her sister would be scrambling to stop us- I didn’t want her worrying over whether or not to mourn for her. Even… even if she believes in our cause just as we do, she’s turning against everything she knows. It’s a lot of pressure-”

“That’s no excuse to keep a secret like that.” Kali chided, shaking her head. “I understand you were trying to spare her pain but this could’ve gone terribly. How were you going to look her in the eye and explain that  _you_ ordered the death of her sister?”

“I know it doesn’t paint me in a good light but I made the best decision for our people, Mom.” Although it obviously pained her to argue, Blake stood tall and met her gaze evenly. “If I gambled on Winter turning, everyone in Menagerie would pay for me being wrong. As much as I wanted to believe, I couldn’t take it on blind faith that the Colonel wouldn’t follow through with the order.” Then her gaze shifted to Ruby, almost pleading. “It’s like I told you.”

She nodded, even if the words tasted awful on her tongue. “I didn’t believe for a second she’d actually  _do it_  but I don’t blame Blake for not wanting to take that risk. Neither does Winter.”

“As someone who has watched Atlas’ march across Remnant, I know you did the right thing.” She frowned. “But as a mother, I raised you better than to keep secrets from someone who sacrificed much to help us.”

Yang hummed, shaking her head, seeing a bit of familiarity in Blake’s skepticism and caution. “Not to… put too fine a point on it, Mom, but I definitely thought you would’ve been on our side about this. At the time, could we  _really_ trust either of them not to turn against us?”

“Could we?” Kali started towards the tent flap. “At the time, could they do anything other than what they did? Following the orders handed down to them?” She paused, turning back to look at them. “They chose to take a gamble and put their faith in us. Perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to discount the risks they’ve taken as well.” Her gaze slid to Yang. “There was a time when we wouldn’t have trusted Raven but the only way we got this far was by recognizing which gambles are  _worth_ taking.”

Blake chuckled. “I guess  _this_ is why Ruby’s the leader.”

“From what I’ve heard, Summer had the same intuition.” A soft laugh. “It drove Raven crazy.”

“Yeah. I know,” Ruby replied, proud that she’d lived up to her mother’s example in some small way. “She mentioned it a few times.”

Kali nodded. “Blake, I expect you to talk to Weiss about this, and soon. She’s likely upset we traveled all this way and her sister  _might_ have been dead this whole time.”

“I will.” Her ears drooped. “Um… you… wouldn’t happen to have any tips, would you?”

“Leader of the White Fang, absolutely hates confrontation.” Yang rolled her eyes and walked over, throwing her arm around the Faunus’ shoulders. “C’mere, you. I’ll help ya out.”

Ruby watched them go, surprised by the silence that followed. With their camp now full of tribemates, freedom fighters, White Fang, and the Atlesian defectors, it should’ve be like this, but most were hardened veterans of guerrilla fighting or soldiers trained to be ready at a moment’s notice and rest whenever possible.

It really drove home how close they were to the point of no return.

* * *

Winter led her sister away from the tents, towards one of the steep canyon walls that threw their encampment in shadows. The shattered moon had risen, casting light on the far side, but it would be an hour or two more before it shone down on them. All the better to keep them hidden, for the time being, anyway.

“I’m sorry for pulling you out like that,” she said, turning around to look at Weiss’ obvious hurt and confusion. “But I need you to understand she made the right call. Killing me and Terry would’ve been the only way to slow the genocide of the Faunus people.”

“How can you just… be so flippant about it?” Then she shook her head, her shoulders sagging. “I mean… I know you’re right, that Blake is- I understand that from a logical perspective, she did the only thing that seemed like it might work to protect thousands, but…”

“But I’m your sister.” Her expression softened. “You’ve always been softer at heart.”

Instantly, she grimaced, turning away. “I know. Mother-”

“Was wrong.” Winter finished, her voice strong and causing the woman to look back at her over her shoulder. “Mother drilled both of us, trained us to harden ourselves against suffering- it wasn’t to make us better people. It was to make us blind to what repercussions our actions wrought.” She pressed her lips into a thin line. “I don’t know if it was intentional on her part. I don’t know if she even realizes what we’ve done to Remnant. All I know is that she believes, with her whole being, that she’s doing what is right and just. She’s dedicated her life to it.” She gestured between them. “And we were raised to walk in her footsteps. How could we expect anyone else to think differently of us? How could we think differently of ourselves?”

Weiss turned around, looking first at her own uniform and then at the white cloak adorning her shoulders. “I… suppose you have a point.” Then she swallowed. “You issued a mass mobilization order. You knew I’d likely be coming to Mistral.”

Her jaw tightened. “And I ordered to have you detained. Along with the others.”

She nodded, lightly touching the rapier at her side. She wore it on her left- just like her big sister, despite wielding with her left- and her voice held a tremor of grief when she spoke. “I told Blake I would stay behind in Mistral while the rest went to attack Atlas Command.”

Winter nodded. “To buy them time.”

“Yes.” She quickly continued. “It’s not that I  _wanted_ to fight you-”

A hand stopped her as she closed the distance and pulled her sister into a hug- here, away from most prying eyes, where affection  _could_ be freely given. “I’m proud of you. It would’ve been the hardest thing you would ever do, but I have no doubt you would’ve fought me to the death to protect them.”

“Do you think… Mother…”

“Yes.” She rested her chin atop her sister’s head and smoothed a hand down her back in an attempt to soothe her. “For all their strengths, Mother’s semblance is perfected. If I am not there to meet her, to stall her, they will not succeed.” A shuddering breath. “She  _will_ try to kill me, Weiss. She might very well succeed.” She cleared her throat, strengthening her resolve. “But I  _will_ try to come back. I promised Ruby that.”

Belatedly, she recognized the slip- their masks were on, they were outside the tent- but didn’t bother correcting herself as her sister clung to her. “What if… you succeed?”

A deep breath. “I’ll have to kill her. If she doesn’t ally with us, I can’t let her continue down her path.” She pulled back and looked down, meeting her sister’s eyes beyond their masks. “One way or another, blood will be shed. You’ll lose either a sister or a mother, Weiss. I’m sorry.”

Her expression cracked and crumbled, head bowing until she buried it in Winter’s chest and cried silent tears. Her elder sister said nothing of the tusks digging into her, putting the mild annoyance aside to comfort her. But when she pulled away, quickly wiping at her face, the sorrow was buried under a steely sort of resolve, the fierceness they were known for showing plainly in her face. Nothing could obscure it.

“You promised Ruby you’d try to come back?”

“Yes.”

“Promise me, too.” For a brief moment, she wavered, before solidifying her voice. “When we return to Mistral, we’ll have a lot of work to do, you and I.”

“Indeed we will.” They separated, stepping back and regarding one another. “You should see about wearing something different. These uniforms no longer suit us.”

“You’re right.” Weiss nodded. “I’ll talk to Bl- Cat about it.”

“Good.” Winter hesitated, briefly. “I meant what I said; I’m proud of you.”

“I’m proud, too.” She smiled. “Even when everyone doubted you’d do the right thing, you did.”

The expression was returned. “Get some rest. We’ve a long day ahead of us.” As her sister left, her expression fell to one of resigned annoyance, turning to scan the area around them. There weren’t many places to hide, of course, but Terry didn’t earn their position by being obvious about anything. “Come out; I know you followed us.”

“It wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop. This time, anyway.” They pushed themselves up, having laid in a particularly deep shadow and allowing their uniform to blend into the rocks around them. “I shouldn’t be surprised you’re both possessed of the same stupid idea, should I?”

“If you stopped thinking as my friend, you’d see it’s the sensible option,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t need to win; I simply need to stall. Allow Rose and the others to reach the Command building. From there, I am confident they can slip away while Mother attempts damage control. It’s protocol-”

“Don’t quote regulation to me while telling everyone else you’re going to  _try_ to come back.” They spat, frustrated with her grasp on the situation. “You’ve no exit strategy. In fact, if I don’t miss my guess, you’ve got it into your fool head that you’re going to talk some sense into that woman.”

Hope for the best, she thought wryly. “You think I can’t.”

“I  _know_ you can’t.” Terry raised their arms, as if they wanted to reach out and strangle her, but dropped them a moment later with a sigh. “You’ve made your choice.”

“I have.”

They straightened up, and she could picture the look on their face right then, despite their helmet’s face plate. “You’re dedicated to it.”

“Yes.”

“And you honestly believe- with as stubborn as you’re being- that your Mother will be anything less?”

“I never said it was a  _good_ plan.” A sigh left her lips. “I’m sorry. I wish there was some other way.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Their shoulders dropped. “I’ll be embedded with Flynt’s unit. We’ve volunteered to be the tip of the spear.”

“I’m not sure if you should really be chiding me for martyrdom, then,” she said, a quirk coming to her lips. “You’re going to draw a lot of attention. You’ve been stationed at Atlas Command for quite a while; everyone knows who you are.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been following your lead this far, might as well see how far it goes.” They shrugged. “Besides. It’s about time I put myself back in a fight. Hopefully we can spar a little on the way there.”

“Considering what we did to my office, I’m not sure  _that_ is such a good idea.” However, she nodded all the same. “We both need our rest, though. We might be able to work something out.”

“Especially if we get your flagship.” Terry turned, heading back into the camp. “Take your own advice, Wolf. Get some sleep.”

Winter nodded, heading back to the tent to find it mostly empty. Only Ruby and her sister remained, the latter collecting up the maps and stowing them away while the former…

“She nodded off a few minutes ago,” Yang said, her voice soft but warm as she looked over and smiled. “She’s going to need it.” With her chin resting against her chest, the leader of the resistance sat leaning against the small table set up to one side, where most of the maps were placed to keep them out of the way. “Try not to wake her, yeah?”

Blue eyes flicked over to the bedroll. “Is she a light sleeper?”

“Nah. That’d be me.” A smile curled her lips. “If you bunk down, both of you can grab a few hours’ rest.” She turned, heading out of the tent. “I’ll come grab you two when it’s time. Just turn down the lamp; we’re trying to conserve dust.”

Winter waited until she’d left before carefully making her way over to Ruby’s sleeping form. While she didn’t doubt the woman had learned to sleep in all manner of awkward positions- even in chains, as she winced at the memory- it wouldn’t do to simply leave her there. Carefully, she reached up and undid the fastener keeping her cloak in place, then eased her arms beneath Ruby’s knees and behind her back. Small as she was, she weighed practically nothing, and Winter carried her easily over to the bed roll and laid her down. Retrieving the cloak, she used it as a blanket for the woman and turned down the lamp as asked, ready to take the spot by the table now that it was free.

But a low, soft whimper caught her attention, and she looked over to see Ruby fidgeting in her sleep. A bad dream, perhaps.

With a frown, Winter went over and knelt down, mainly to see if perhaps a rock or something was digging into her back to cause the discomfort, but the moment she got close enough, Ruby’s hand shot out and grabbed hold of the white cloak.

“Yang?” Silver eyes cracked open, her voice thick from sleep as she started sitting up.

“She’s gone to rest. You should, too.” Lightly, she freed the cloak from her hand and gently pushed Ruby back down. “Tomorrow, there will be little time for it.”

“There’s still a lot to do-”

“It will keep,” she said firmly, laying down beside the bedroll on her side, using her mask as a makeshift pillow. “Try to sleep.” For a moment, it looked like her advice might not be heeded, so she gently prodded. “Were you having a nightmare?”

“Something like that.” Ruby sighed, shifting slightly before rolling onto her side, so they could see each other in the dim light. “It’s… probably just nerves. Right?”

“Most likely.” An idea occurred to her then. “Close your eyes.”

“But-”

“Trust me.”

After a moment, she did as requested and Winter began to sing- a song she’d learned in her youth, a very old battle march from some ancient part of Mantle, passed down through the ages in a tongue very few could even understand, much less speak. When she was young, she found it in an old book tucked away in the family library, and sounded out the words as best she could. It probably sounded like gibberish, but she’d determined the ebb and flow of the song on her own, and it soothed her whenever she sang it. Hopefully, it would have the same effect.

To her surprise, it did, as the next time Ruby spoke, her words came out slurred together and she didn’t open her eyes. “I didn’t know you could sing.”

“Believe it or not, I’m more than just a soldier.” A brief chuckle. “I think even I’d forgotten that at some point.”

Something probably followed- a half formed word leaving her lips- but the woman dropped into unconsciousness a few moments later, her breathing deep and even. Just to be safe, though, Winter sang the song again, allowing the melody to ease her own anxieties as well.

She likely wouldn’t have another chance.


	9. Bushed Howl

Winter awoke with a start as something metallic clanged, jolting upright and wiping at her face. Or, rather, she would’ve done the former if a weight wasn’t pinning one of her arms down. Turning her head, she took note of having rolled onto her back sometime during her sleep while Ruby shuffled over, still on her side but now using Winter’s arm as a pillow, her bedroll forgotten. However, the woman didn’t have the heart to wake her just yet, even as the sounds of the camp being torn down around them continued. There were more than enough hands for them to not be missed and Ruby could use a bit more sleep.

Idly, she reached over and brushed a lock of hair behind the woman’s ear, causing her to lightly stir with a murmur before settling again. The face of a rebel, a leader of fighters spanning the globe, looked so different in slumber, when the weight of Remnant had slid from her shoulders. The bit of saliva that trailed from her mouth seemed almost childish, sloppy, while her waking self had to keep track of so much that she couldn’t afford to be such. Even in the darkness, she could see how the lean look to her face hadn’t quite erased the roundness that clung to her cheeks, making her appear almost innocent when those flashing silver eyes were closed. The smoothness of her brow now that she had no worries… Winter found it a little difficult to reconcile the visage before her with the scowling, defiant resistance fighter who’d been laid before her hardly a week before. She’d lived almost her whole life seeing only a handful of emotions from those closest to her, molding her own expressions to keep as much locked away as possible, but in the days since ‘Rose’ became ‘Ruby’, she’d seen far more, from all those who sought to oppose Atlas’ rule.

Strange, she thought, that for all their freedoms, they still wore shackles. Not as heavy, not as damning, but there they hung, like the guillotine poised above their necks, ready to strike down any who would speak out. Only now did she understand what the word ‘freedom’ meant.

“Hey, Rubes, you gonna- oh.” She turned her head to regard Yang, who removed her mask and favored her with a small, soft smile. “You made a mistake, huh? She’s a bit of a cuddle bug when she’s dead tired.”

“I hardly think it a mistake,” Winter replied, keeping her voice soft so as not to disturb the woman. “If it helped her sleep, it’s no trouble at all.”

“Yeah…” For a moment, her expression pinched, lips turning down at the corners before she stepped closer and sat down, resting her mask on her knee. “Say, what are you going to do after all this is over?  We take down Atlas Command, we come back here- Ruby and I, we’ve still got a lot of fighting ahead of us, and not all of it can be solved with explosions. How do you figure into all that?”

“I… don’t know.” She looked at the ceiling of the tent, mulling over the question. “Frankly, I’ve been avoiding thoughts of the future.”

“You really don’t plan on coming back, huh?”

“You’re not wrong… but it’s not  _just_ that.” She let out a thoughtful hum, buying herself time to arrange the words. “I meant what I told Weiss. We have only each other for family now; I have no home to return to, no skills to offer, and no identity outside of that which I’ve rejected. In a kingdom without the Atlesian military, I have no place.” A sigh slipped past her lips and she paused, listening, as Ruby stirred slightly. Confident she hadn’t awoken, Winter continued softly. “At the same time, I can’t very well sit on my hands. If…  _when_ we return, I’ll have to find some way to apply myself. Perhaps I can’t make up for the mistakes I’ve made but I can die trying.”

Slowly, Yang smiled. “When, huh?”

“I did make a promise.” She indicated the white cloak she wore. “Ruby’s rather clever, using my own predilection to keeping my word against me.”

“Yeah, she’s good at that.” Shaking her head slightly, the woman got to her feet and walked over to a chest tucked into the corner, pulling out a few more masks. “The White Fang are about to move out, use the night to their favor. She’s probably got another hour before there’s too much noise for her to sleep.”

Winter glanced over and weighed her options before trying to, carefully, extricate her arm. “I should go with them.”

“You can’t see in the dark.”

“No, but I might be able to give us an edge.” It took a few tries, seeing as Ruby kept trying to dig her fingers into the fabric of her shirt or the cloak- whatever fabric she could get hold of- but eventually she managed to get free, reaching over and grabbing her discarded coat and repositioning the bedroll. The coat she put in the woman’s arms, giving her something to hold, and the bedroll replaced her arm to prop up Ruby’s head. Confident she’d get at least a little more rest, Winter got to her feet and brushed herself off, stretching out the slight ache in her back from sleeping on the ground. “The commanding officer of the base is… a unique character. I’m fairly certain I can get her to stand down without a fight.”

“Huh, really?” Yang held up her mask. “You can convince her to let the Mistral resistance fighters waltz in and steal half their docked airships?”

“Honestly?” A smirk curled her lips. “I might be able to convince her to join us, in a manner of speaking.”

A few blinks. “You’re kidding.”

“She’s always been an oddball and descended from a long line of Hunters. She’s rather loud and proud about it, despite the decline in the profession since the Pa- since the Great War.” Winter grabbed her mask and set it in place. “If I play my cards right, I should be able to convince her that, were Atlas Command to fall, Hunters will be necessary once again. I daresay she’ll jump at the opportunity.”

Suspicion showed plain in the woman’s face as she passed, lilac eyes following her until she reached the tent flap. “And  _that’s_ the person you put in charge of your airship and logistics base?”

“It’s the safest place for her to be.” Winter winced. “She has a rather nasty habit of terrorizing her soldiers in order to attract Grimm. At least the stresses of maintaining ter- kingdom wide supply lines made it so she didn’t have to use her more… extreme methods.”

“Sounds like a regular ball of sunshine.” Yang sighed. “Well, good luck. I’ll tell Blake to hold the attack order until your signal.”

“Thank you.” A mirthless chuckle left her lips. “If she sees my summons, something’s gone terribly wrong and I’ll need all the help I can get.”

“You need some help? I think Terry and Weiss are with-”

“They’re where they need to be.” With a nod, she continued out of the tent. “We’ll link up at the base.”

For a moment, the woman watched her before shrugging. “Alright.”

Winter brushed out, nearly running into Fireheart but carefully stepping around her with nothing more than a nod exchanged between them. All around, people were moving quickly but quietly to break down tents and pack up as much as they could into the few vehicles the resistance had acquired, likely in preparation for transport to a secondary location. Despite the shattered moon beginning to dip over the side of the canyon, they moved efficiently, and she thought, perhaps, her former soldiers could learn a thing or two from the deft motions.

In the back of her mind, she thought about the explanation she’d offered to Yang. Technically, she hadn’t lied, though she  _had_ exaggerated the Major’s demeanor. She wasn’t quite as vocal about her dislike of the declining regard for Hunters in favor of the military might but something in the twist of her lips whenever the old tradition came up in conversation spoke volumes to her opinion on the matter.

However, she believed she could accomplish exactly as she said regardless. One way or another, she’d secure the necessary airships without losing any of the resistance fighters in the process.

“Now where are you going?”

“Ah, there you are,” she said as Terry fell into step beside her. “I’ve got an idea and I’m off to see it through. Would you be able to keep an eye on my sister for me in the meantime?”

“What foolish idea has gotten into that head of yours  _this_ time?” They put a hand on her shoulder, bringing her to a halt. “I’m not sure how many times you plan on facing death on your own in the next forty-eight hours, but if it’s more than once, I’m afraid I need to step in and object.”

“I’m going to try talking the base commander into giving us the supplies we need-”

Fury filled their tone immediately. “You dust damned  _moron_ -”

“It’s Major Semper.”

Terry’s mouth clicked shut as they visibly drew back, looked down for a moment, then nodded. “I stand by my assessment; you’re a dust damned moron- for putting  _her_ in charge of anything larger than a puddle.”

“She’s served admirably in the short term.” Winter coughed into her hand. “And I do rotate soldiers through the base at twice the pace as usual.”

“Congratulations; you’re a  _lucky_ moron.” They shook their head and made a dismissive gesture with their hands. “Fine. You go deal with that hothead and I’ll keep an eye on your sister.”

She almost continued on her way but paused and turned back. “The others, too.”

“Others?”

“Rose, Dragon, Fireheart, Cat- all of them.” Reaching up, she adjusted the cloak. “In the event I talk myself into trouble, ensure they know what to expect before charging into the base.”

“Well, at least you picked an  _easy_ favor.” Terry sighed, their shoulders dropping slightly as they spread their hands. “Think you can try to be careful? I’d rather not explain to your sister how and why you went off on your own like this, much less the others.”

“Dragon knows.”

“And she’s  _letting_ you go?”

“Frankly, I don’t think she cares for me much.” A shrug. “To her mind, I’m sure it’s either I die and I’m out of her hair or I live and her friends and family are saved additional losses.”

“I’m so happy you’re nonchalant about this.” They crossed their arms over their chest. “Well… you’d best get going if you plan on beating the White Fang out there.”

“Oh, that won’t be too much trouble,” she said, pulling her sword from her hip and summoning a set of glyphs. “Though, if you’d like to stall, that would be rather helpful.”

Terry tilted their head. “Concerned they might go charging in, guns blazing?”

“Sword at the ready would be more appropriate.” She frowned and glanced in the direction of the White Fang, whom she could see congregating while waiting for the signal to go. “I’ve no doubt… Cub would strongly object to me walking into that base without back-up.”

“She’s not the only one.” Another sigh, this one defeated. “But I’m not wasting any more energy fighting with you over this. I don’t have your stubbornness.” They held out their hand. “Good luck with Semper. You’re going to need it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she replied, grasping their forearm briefly, long enough for it to be returned, before turning start running along her glyphs towards the base.

As long as she had time, she could probably succeed.

Probably.

* * *

The shouts of people moving about the camp eventually roused her, and she had to wipe away the drool from her mouth when she felt the sticky wetness trailing down her chin. Briefly, she had the presence of mind to hope Winter hadn’t seen it- Yang teased her enough about her messy sleeping habits, she didn’t want to lend credence to any of it- but found the woman nowhere to be seen. Then, belatedly, she realized she’d somehow grabbed her military coat, which hadn’t been near either of them when falling asleep.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” She looked up, scrubbing at her eyes while Pyrrha stepped over and knelt down, holding out a bowl. “Yang wanted to make sure you ate.”

“Where is she?” More stew, it hardly had a taste anymore.

“Supervising the storage of our camp. She’s already tasked out the tribemates staying behind to get it moved back home.” Pyrrha fidgeted a little bit. “Blake took the White Fang to stand by near the base.”

“Stand by?” Her brow furrowed. “What are they waiting for?”

“Winter said she might be able to convince the base’s commander into joining us.” A pause. “Though, she did warn that it  _might_ not work out that way.”

Ruby’s eyes went wide. “Well, who went with her? Terry? Weiss?”

Pyrrha shook her head. “She went alone.”

“And you  _let_ her?” Ruby shot to her feet, dropping the bowl and bending down to snatch up her cloak. “When have we ever just let someone go off on their own?”

“You mean besides when  _you_ did?” Although a bit of teasing hung in her voice, she did also hold a bit of seriousness in her eyes. “She assured Yang she could handle it.”

“She’s also got a habit of plunging headfirst into serious danger!” She objected, reaching for her weapon. “I’m going after her.”

“Wait, Yang said-” When she rounded on Pyrrha, a bit of silver bleeding from her eyes, the redhead put her hands up in a placating motion. “She just said that, if you were going to run after her, you should keep in mind that we’re not looking for a full scale fight. Use your head.”

For a moment, she considered pointing out the irony of that advice. Then, she discarded it with a roll of her eyes and started running out of the tent, her semblance lending her speed as rose petals trailed behind her.

It really shouldn’t surprise her that Winter had coaxed her into sleeping only to leave off on her own. The woman had a reckless streak that made their run at Atlas Command look tame in comparison. Hardly any action she’d taken recently passed the common sense test, by her own accounts. Now, she was walking into a base on the hope she could flip another officer?

Ruby liked to be an optimist but she didn’t like  _gambling_ ; this definitely felt like the latter.

She wove her way through the trees, moving as fast as she could- a red blur to any eyes trying to see her. The shattered moon had started its descent, leaving very little light in the pre-dawn hours. If she hadn’t traversed similar terrain for the majority of her life, she might’ve tripped on a rock, or missed a foothold when scaling the worn trail leading up the canyon wall, or slammed into a tree in the forest surrounding the base. However, she managed to avoid all those pitfalls while keeping her eyes open for any sign of Winter.

All too soon, she reached the edge of the main road leading to the base, where she would be entirely exposed. Instead, she crouched next to a tree, scanning to see if there were fresh bootprints or some sort of sign. However, nothing jumped out at her and the base’s entrance sat a mere click up the road. If she couldn’t see the woman from here…

Something dropped down beside her from the trees overhead and she immediately swung Crescent Rose, the weapon still in its collapsed sniper form and ready to blow the head off of whatever thought to sneak up on her.

Or, it would’ve, had she actually been able to follow through. Whoever had caught her off guard also caught her weapon in one hand, just barely keeping it from pressing against her temple while the blade in her other hand came to rest against Ruby’s throat.

“Good morning to you, too,” Winter said coolly, her voice soft.

Relief surged through her as she lowered her weapon. “I would’ve given you a  _normal_ greeting if you hadn’t run off on me.”

“Forgive my poor manners.” The dagger came away from her throat and returned to its home in her saber. “I thought sparing your family the pain of an extra battle would be better news to awaken to.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, catching the slight smirk. “I can’t leave you alone without you running off on some ‘I might die but it’s for a good reason’ mission, can I?”

The woman regarded her for a moment, her expression almost impossible to read thanks to her mask. “You technically didn’t leave me alone.”

“If you have to use the word ‘technically’, your argument is flawed,” she replied, glancing up the road. “You haven’t gone up there yet?”

“No. I’m waiting for the change of guard.” She motioned towards the base. “The night guards will be jumpy and eager to go to bed at the end of their shift; they’ll be more inclined to… deal with matters in a method that requires the least amount of paperwork.”

“Shoot first, ask no questions, and hide the evidence.” Ruby hummed, slowly turning to look at the woman. “You knew that before you left, didn’t you?”

“If I’d waited, you would’ve  _somehow_ talked me out of it.”

At that, she chuckled. “I would’ve just insisted on going with you.”

“Yes, because not only am I approaching an Atlesian officer in the hopes of flipping her to our side, I’m going to do it with the  _leader of the resistance_  beside me.” Winter’s lips twitched into a smile. “You do enjoy taking the dangerous jobs.”

“Says the woman who came out here  _alone_.” Shaking her head, Ruby glanced up the road. “How long until the guards change?”

“The new shift arrived about the time you did.” All traces of mirth faded as she stood tall and stepped out into the road. “You should probably wait here.” Winter glanced her way and something must’ve shown in her eyes because she immediately relented. “Or just stay close.”

“Now you’re getting it.” She moved to stand beside the woman, tucking her weapon away for the moment and adjusting her cloak to cover it. “Will we even make it to the gate before they start shooting?”

“Of course.” A pause. “I’m fairly certain, anyway.”

“That’s not very comforting… but we’ll make it.” Ruby nodded, shifting her weight. “If nothing else, we can retreat and regroup with the others.”

They started on their way down the road, walking side-by-side, with the taller of the two shortening her strides to make it easier for her to keep up. Winter didn’t have to, of course, but make no move to acknowledge it, so she remained silent. The only sound aside from their boots crunching on the dirt and rocks was their cloaks lightly flapping in the breeze and the rustling of leaves.

As they reached the last bend towards the base, Ruby had to steel her nerves. Much like the central base, this one had big, bright spotlight illuminating the walls, a Paladin sitting on either side of the entrance, and at least a full score of Knights standing at the ready, plus a few flesh and blood soldiers. However, the closer they got, the more she noticed the Knights and Paladins seemed… strange, as if they weren’t online for some reason and merely propped up as if they were.

“Be ready to run,” Winter said as the soldiers began straightening up, noting them coming up the road.

Then, two rifles were pointed at them as one of the soldiers shouted. “By the count of five, you’d better be frozen!”

“But I have a delivery of flowers for you.”

Although Ruby didn’t quite understand that response, it did cause the soldiers to relax… slightly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Yang’s pointed out that, being ‘Rose’, she could very easily be the ‘flowers’ to be delivered, but she quashed the thought immediately. Winter wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to offer her up to the Atlesian military.

“Identify yourself.” The soldier, although seemingly confident they weren’t foes, hadn’t quite dropped his weapon just yet.

Slowly, deliberately, the woman reached up to pull off her mask while brandishing her saber with her other hand. “Do you honestly need an introduction, Sergeant?”

“C-colonel.” Instantly, both soldiers snapped to attention. “We received word from the central base; we thought you were killed by the resistance, Ma’am.”

“I should be offended you thought so little of me,” she replied, though a bit of amusement curled her lips. “How did you establish communications?”

“By using the old shortwave communications system. We found a few tucked away in the supply shed; several of the other bases across the territory have also found their outdated equipment and got them up and running.” He fidgeted slightly. “Should I send word back to the central base that you’ve arrived, Ma’am? Is the General with you?”

“No, on both accounts.” Winter straightened up, her voice taking on a serious tone, the same voice she’d used when ordering her soldiers. “Get Major Semper down here. I need to speak with her immediately.”

“Uh, yes, Ma’am, right away.” When neither moved, the Sergeant smacked the shoulder of the soldier standing next to him, sending him scurrying into the guard shack set beside the wall. Then his attention fell to her and, beneath her cloak, she wrapped a hand around Crescent Rose just in case. “Uh… Ma’am, is… that-”

“Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to make the introduction.” The woman waved a hand towards her. “This is the one and only Rose, leader of the Mistrali resistance.”

The Sergeant nodded slowly, as if he was more than aware of her identity. “Did you… capture her, Ma’am?”

“No. I’ve decided to join her cause.” He blinked, slowly. “If you’re planning on acting on that information, Sergeant, I advise you do so quickly. I’d like to have my conversation with the Major in relative peace.”

Ruby watched as the grip on his weapon shifted, her weight moved from side-to-side, as if he couldn’t decide whether or not to raise his weapon. “But… why?”

Winter paused, as if she genuinely didn’t expect the question, and then chuckled. “Why? Look around you, Sergeant. Look at what we’ve done to Remnant. The wars we’ve started, the people we’ve slaughtered, all in the name of things we never intended to deliver. Who are we protecting when we execute anyone suspected of having objections? What safety do we provide when the people cower away from us? What are we doing here, except exerting a control on people who should have just as much a right to live as any of us? This land isn’t ours but we’ve taken it, enslaved its people, and desecrated its sanctity, all for the gain of Atlas.” She stopped then, gesturing towards him. “Consider your own position. Were I to simply speak it, you would be killed. Why? Because I am born of Atlas and you are not. Is that fair? Is it right?” A shake of her head. “I don’t believe so, not anymore. It doesn’t absolve me of my crimes, of the blood on my hands, but I’ll not add more deaths to my name if I can help it. Except those who’ve pit us against each other in the first place.” A very deliberate pause. “And those who stand in my way.”

 _This_ was part of why she’d made the decision to try reaching out to the woman beneath the soldier. Ruby didn’t have any idea how it looked from a soldier’s perspective; Ilia’s inclusion into the White Fang filled in some gaps but she wouldn’t be able to appeal to those who’d lived and breathed Atlas Command’s dogma their entire lives. Winter, on the other hand, had the same perspective, or at least a similar one to any soldier they came across.

“So… the… central base… is breaking away from the command?” The Sergeant seemed conflicted, fearful- as if he couldn’t decide how to react.

“I didn’t say that.” The severe line of her shoulders dropped. “The General and I defected on our own. I left Major Thorn in charge of the soldiers at the central base; they’re unaware of our changed allegiance as of yet. You’re free to inform them, if you’d like. It doesn’t make much difference to me.”

Tilting his head, the man regarded her with bare faced confusion. “Wait… you didn’t order your entire base to follow you?”

Much to her surprise, Winter laughed. “I hardly think I could proclaim myself to be fighting for people’s freedom while  _ordering_ people to follow me into doing so. I simply left instructions for Major Thorn to take care of the soldiers and protect the civilians around the base. I can’t make the decision for them, nor for you.” She raised her sword, then set it back to her hip. “I meant what I said, Sergeant. I’ll only fight you if you force me into it; there’s been too much death already.”

The other soldier returned, a bit of a shake to his voice. “M-ma’am, Major Semper is on her way, and she’s, uh, well, she’s-”

“Angrier than a Lancers’ nest, I imagine. That’s perfectly fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s much stupider when angry.” The immediate coughing that followed probably meant that Winter’s assessment had to be close to the mark but she couldn’t help but turning a questioning brow towards the woman. “Not everyone is cut out to be a soldier and fewer make for good officers. Semper falls into neither category.”

“Then how did she get the job?” Ruby noted the soldiers’ stiffening, as if asking the question tread on some unspoken rule.

“Nepotism, mostly. Military lineages are shown preference but Semper descends from a long line of the Hunters. Unfortunately, when Atlas Command dismantled the Hunter profession, they were ultimately absorbed into the rank and file. It’s historically not sat well with any of the Semper family and they’ve become increasingly loud and destructive in their means of announcing their displeasure.” A brief, mirthless chuckle. “She’d much rather fight Grimm than sit around in a uniform. Giving her a command, however, provides her with a few too many opportunities to do the former.”

Some soldiers- like Winter herself- she knew by both name and reputation; others, she only ever heard the latter. “Is she the Terror of Torren?” The nods that answered her weren’t exactly comforting. “And you want to bring her to  _our_ side?”

“In a manner of speaking.” A grin curled her lips. “I actually plan to simply set her loose in Atlas. She’ll do the rest on her own.”

Ruby pressed her lips into a thin line. “You’re playing a dangerous game here, Wolf.”

“You’re really not one to talk, Rose.”

Perhaps she had a point there.

* * *

Winter tilted her chin up as she heard the shouts from beyond the wall, a sure sign that Major was stomping her way through the base. Really, amongst all her headaches while acting as the commanding officer of Mistral, the woman came in close to the top, but she’d been relatively quiet in recent months. Frankly, no news constituted good news with regards to the Major, so she hadn’t looked into it any further than that.

The commotion coming from within the walls, however, proved she should’ve investigated a while ago.

When the gates opened, she laid eyes on Major Dal Semper, a woman who seemed to revel in disregarding and disrespecting as many regulations as possible.  _How_ Winter hadn’t realized all the problems that Atlas Command’s methods caused truly marked a testament to how deeply ingrained their way of life had become, only recognizing the problem when someone else suggested a better alternative.

Her uniform had the sleeves ripped off, the shirt untucked, and while she had her pant legs bloused, the boots had scuff marks and gouges, and her long brown hair fell around her shoulders like a cloak of her own, far past her hips. And she did not look pleased.

“Which one of you idiots woke me up?” She called, her voice bellowing out in the early morning air. “And which of you idiots is pretending to be the Colonel?”

“What makes you think I’m pretending?” Winter’s dry tone made the woman’s steps stutter but she managed to continue on as if nothing was remiss. “You’re looking well rested, Major.”

“You’re not lookin’ too shabby for a dead woman yourself.” A shake of her head as green eyes briefly fell on Rose. “I get the feelin’ I drank too much last night.”

“Your preference for indulgence aside, perhaps we should speak later.” She turned, as if to leave. “I’d rather have you sober before I present a solution to your… disagreements with military protocol.”

“Now, hold on a sec.” She turned towards the soldiers. “Hey, either of you have a cig?” Once provided with a cigarette and a lighter, Semper lit it and blew out the first puff before continuing. “What sort of ‘solution’ does Colonel I’ve-Got-A-Stick-Lodged-Up-My-Ass have for me, huh? It’s not like you to go against the rules.”

“Perhaps not before but, as a defector, I’ve found quite a distaste for them.”

“Defector, huh?” Her gaze flicked over to Rose. “I might buy that. Would certainly explain how half a day’s trip turned into two. Had to stop by and get your new orders.”

“Essentially, yes.” Most of their interactions went along these lines, with the Major trying her hardest to dig under Winter’s skin. The woman always craved a fight, some sort of conflict, and it would worry her if she didn’t content herself with fighting Grimm. Were those destructive inclinations ever turned on her fellow soldiers… well, that had been a concern before. Now, she was banking on it. “The resistance will be launching a decisive strike against Atlas Command using your airships.”

“The resistance, huh? ‘Cause a report came in yesterday about some White Fang bastards piloting a few airships across Mistral.”

“They’re with us.” A smile curled her lips. “We’ve got the numbers to make a real go at this.”

“And how does this solve  _my_ problem?”

Now, all she had to do was bait the hook and wait. “When Atlas Command falls, all of Atlas will be thrown into disarray. If the government doesn’t collapse, it’ll come close enough that news will spread- and quickly. That sort of instability… I’m sure many people will become scared and confused. Times like that can become dark, quickly.”

Although she made an impressive show of keeping a neutral expression, Semper’s eyes lit up. Despair and confusion meant a host of negative emotions, and negative emotions meant Grimm in large numbers- just the sort of battle the Major favored. “That could be interesting for the five minutes it’ll take for me to clear out the Grimm.”

An overstatement of her abilities happened to be another quirk the woman possessed that Winter found herself grateful for now. “I can imagine but what interests me more is what will  _replace_ Atlas Command.” She made a vague motion with her hand. “People might be hard pressed to put their faith in the military after such a catastrophic event. They may even be inclined to turn back to something that hasn’t failed them in the past… like the old Hunter guilds.”

“That so?” Semper took a long drag on the cigarette before throwing aside, the smoke curling out of her mouth and dispersing. “I don’t suppose you’ll be trying to spearhead that initiative yourself, eh?”

“I have no interest in what happens to Atlas after the command structure is compromised.” Nodding towards the base, she did her best to keep a straight face through the lie. For all their faults, she could only hold the general population to the same amount of guilt she herself carried. If they sought redemption or amends, it wouldn’t be up to her whether or not they would be granted it, but she knew very well that it wasn’t Semper’s concern. The Major wouldn’t dare harm the people, lest she lose the audience she so badly wanted to impress. “I’ll collect my flagship and half the fleet of airships. What you do with the rest and whatever rabble you’ve accumulated who are inclined to your… ideas are none of my concern.”

Over the years, there were soldiers who  _requested_ to be stationed at the logistics base. She thought them insane but honestly needed a permanent party to keep things running smoothly so she didn’t question it; what they did aside from keeping her supply lines intact, she couldn’t be troubled with on top of everything else. A large part of her suspected they were of like minds, content with making each other’s lives hell so long as it drew Grimm to them, and enough reports trickled in to indicate they succeeded in many ways.

“So… “ She made a motion with her hand, another cigarette offered up and lit before she continued. “You’re proposing I assist you in launching a strike against Atlas Command- or, at least, do nothing to hinder you- and I’ll be free to reinstate Hunters as a legitimate profession? That right?”

“More or less.” She held up a finger. “A caveat I will include is that, whatever you might do, you keep it in Atlas. The other kingdoms of Remnant are not your playgrounds.”

Semper raised a brow at ‘kingdoms’ but didn’t object to the designation while taking a long drag on her cigarette. “A worldwide rebellion’s going to cause a lot of hurtin’, one way or another. That’s a lot of places Grimm might be heading.”

“I’m sure if anyone’s in need of your services, they’ll find a way of contacting you.”

Winter could tell she’d taken the bait, had bitten deep enough that the hook wouldn’t dislodge, but waited until she’d blown out a long stream of smoke before allowing herself to relax by the smallest amount. “Alright, Colonel. You’ve got yourself a deal.” Then she hiked a thumb behind her. “Now what are you going to do with these bastards?”

“I’ll worry about the soldiers here. You just concern yourself with those who are eager to fight Grimm.”

Semper smiled, and it looked just as much deadly as disconcerting. “Best news I’ve ever heard and probably the only order I’ve looked forward to following.” She turned. “I leave command to you, Colonel.”

“It’s Wolf now,” she said, feeling now to be the appropriate time to correct the Major. “I don’t serve Atlas anymore.”

“I never did, but you still called me ‘Major’,” she replied, turning around and heading into the base, making a vague motion over her shoulder. “We’re not soldiers anymore so, honestly, fuck it. Put the Sergeant in charge.”

Once certain Semper was out of earshot, she muttered under her breath. “I hate that woman.”

“That was impressive.” She turned her head to see the smile shining in silver eyes. “You played her like a fiddle.”

“I have my moments of brilliance.” Then she winced. “Of course, I’m quite certain my inattentiveness has caused more than a few of the problems here.” Then she shook her head to dislodge the thought. Right now, additional guilt would do her little good. “Semper’s been a thorn in my side for years but at least now I can have her plying her talents to someone else’s aggravation.”

“Ma’am? Er, Wolf?” She looked over to the Sergeant, who seemed to be wrestling with something. “What will happen to those of us outside of Atlas if you succeed?”

“Rose?” Ultimately, the decision didn’t fall to her. Frankly, she’d much prefer the option that led to the least amount of bloodshed, however that might work out.

“We’ve talked about it.” Although the mask obscured it, Winter had seen the woman’s expression enough to guess at the thoughtful frown on her lips just by the way her eyes tightened. “We’re not going to start an all out war- not yet, anyway, but we’re going to take our homes back. Mistral will be  _ours_ again. If any Atlesians don’t like it, they can go back to Atlas. Otherwise? In time, I think we could learn to coexist.”

The Sergeant didn’t look too comfortable with that answer. “In time?”

“Honestly, a lot of people are  _pretty_ angry with Atlas as a whole and Atlesians by extension. There’s probably going to be some push back, some lingering resentment. The scars that have been inflicted on us won’t heal overnight.” Then Rose looked at her for a moment. “But if we try, together, we can eventually bridge those gaps.”

“Rose is right. There’s a lot of damage to be undone before we can expect the sins of our pasts to wash clean,” Winter said, suspecting her opinion might carry a bit more weight. “For those who wish to stay, it will be worth it to listen to those we’ve harmed, however unintentional or indirect that harm might’ve been.”

The Sergeant nodded, though fear lingered in his eyes. “So… for now, I guess it’s load up in an airship and see what happens?”

“With Major Semper relinquishing her command, the next officer in line assumes the position, not me.” Her eyes narrowed as she tried to recall the name of who that might be. “I believe that’s Captain Wilder. Have him informed of the situation.” Then she turned towards Rose. “I believe moving Dragon’s forces into the base should be safe now. We’ll need to load up soon to make it to Atlas.”

“Right.” Silver eyes bounced between her and the base. “Are you sure…”

“I’ll be fine.” She reached out, putting a hand on the woman’s shoulder and offering a small smile. “They might not be the most appealing of allies but Semper won’t let anything delay us if it means she has a chance of realizing her little pet dream. She’s not the easiest person to work with but she’ll do whatever it takes to see her aims through.”

“None of this is comforting, just so you know.”

“I’m touched you’re worried about me but you shouldn’t.” Reaching up, she set her mask back in place. “Dawn is coming. We can’t delay for the sake of an argument.”

Rose huffed, turning her head away. “Send a summon if you get into trouble.” She nodded. “And be somewhere I can find you when I get back.”

“Of course,” she said, squeezing lightly before gently pushing the woman on her way. “Now go. If you delay much longer, they might think something’s wrong.” Although still reluctant, Winter watched Rose turn and leave, becoming nothing more than a blur of rose petals through the trees in the breaking light of dawn. Then, she turned her attention to the soldiers. “Now, Captain Wilder?”

“Uh, right.” The Sergeant nudged his counterpart again- who seemed rather used to the treatment- and hurried off to call for the Captain.

* * *

Ruby made it back to Blake and Yang in record time, wanting not a second wasted. She didn’t trust the Major in the slightest nor the soldiers under her command and leaving Winter in the midst of them made her stomach churn. It felt too much like abandoning an ally, a friend, family- like if she’d left Blake or Yang or Pyrrha or Ren behind in a snake pit. Could they handle it? Probably. Did she  _like_ it? Absolutely not.

“Welcome back, Rubes.” Her sister smirked, the expression audible despite being covered. “I’m guessing Wolf managed to talk her way in.”

“No thanks to us,” she replied, setting aside her frustration with Yang’s decision to let the woman go off alone aside for the moment. “We’re good to move into the base. Cat, go grab your airships; we’ll use the base’s docks to load supplies and people after going over the plan.”

“Really? You wanna do that before we start for Atlas?” Despite the question, her sister didn’t seem critical of the decision- merely curious.

“We might come across enemies in the air and there’s always a chance there won’t be time when we need it; we have to know what we’re fighting for before we leave for the battle,” she replied, then beckoned the woman closer. “And I need to talk to you.”

“Right. Cub, Tiger, come with me,” Blake said, recognizing the tone in her voice and opting to move as many people  _away_ from a ticked off Ruby as possible before the argument started.

Meanwhile, Yang sauntered over nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. “Hey, she had a plan, who was I to stand in her way?”

“I wish you had that mentality when I had  _my_ plan.”

“That’s different; you’re my sister-”

“That doesn’t make  _her_ less important!” Frustration colored her tone, causing Pyrrha to step away and at least feign that she wasn’t listening to the conversation while directing Ren and Nora to lead the way for the others to follow. The three of them would catch up later. “One life doesn’t mean more than another, that’s why we’re doing this in the first place!”

“Look, I’ll buy that she’s genuinely on our side. I’ll even give it to her that she’s probably too hard on herself, all things considered. But don’t ask me to worry after her like I do for you.” Yang shook her head and waved a hand, her stubbornness rearing its head. “She hasn’t spent this whole time wondering how many friends she’s going to lose- friends who might not have done anything wrong, who were just trying to survive. She wants to gamble with her life? I’m not stopping her.” Her eyes flashed red beneath her mask. “You want to say she’s one of us? Let her  _feel_ like one of us. She could do with a bit of fear, of feeling like she’s alone in a world trying to kill her.”

Ruby’s hands balled into fists. On a rational level, she understood this was just displaced anger, a lifetime of fury finding a willing target who wouldn’t question it in the slightest. However, if her sister kept thinking like that, it would just cause more problems down the line, so she had to pull out all the stops. “So I guess when she abandoned her post, came to us with vital intelligence, fully knowing it would likely mean her own sister would call for her death- that doesn’t mean anything, huh? Not even her willingness to fight and possibly  _kill_ her own mother so we can succeed. That somehow doesn’t compare, because that’s something we’ve felt, too, right? With Raven? Mom?”

The woman drew back, obviously not expecting such a low blow. Yang’s feelings regarding both Raven and Summer were… complicated, to put it lightly, and they talked about it rarely because of how confused it made her sister. Throughout their lives, Yang never called Raven ‘mom’, because that was Summer, and Raven demanded more of Yang without really acknowledging their shared blood. She wasn’t a kind woman, not in the sense of freely given affection, and she could be harsh, especially towards Ruby… but she’d never think of fighting her. Even if she wasn’t good at being a mother, she did  _try_ on occasion, and that meant something to both of them.

“How we came to be here doesn’t matter,” she said, taking Yang’s silence as a sign she’d won some ground. “We’re here now, fighting on the same side. But if you’re going to keep holding her past against her, we’re going to defeat ourselves before we start.” Even though she felt more than a little annoyed with her sister at present, she still reached out and set a hand on her shoulder. “Everyone makes mistakes and, yeah, hers probably mean a lot of people died. That wasn’t her  _choice_ , though, and if we’re going to hold it against her that she didn’t break free of a brainwashed populace earlier in her life then we  _have_ to acknowledge what she’s sacrificed- what she  _will_ sacrifice, just to keep standing beside us. And how many times we did the same thing.”

She immediately turned her head, looking towards the rising sun just beginning to break over Mistral. Hopefully, its last sunrise as a territory under Atlas Command. “Okay, fine. I should’ve sent someone with her. I’m sorry.”

Ruby probably couldn’t ask for anything more. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

“Hey, she’s the one who wanted to run off in the first place. I trusted her to know her limits!” Her hands went up, a futile gesture of frustration. “Whatever. I won’t do it again, alright? Besides, it’s not like anything-”

The sounds of explosions and gunfire echoed out from the base, tongues of flames leaping up and over the walls and treetops.

“Uh… retract last statement, I guess.” Yang puffed out a breath. “Guess Wolf wasn’t able to get quite as clean an agreement as she wanted.”

“Or someone went back on her word.” She  _definitely_ shouldn’t have left Winter alone within the walls of that damned base. “Come on, we gotta move.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” her sister said, her gauntlets expanding a moment before she turned, grabbing Pyrrha’s hand and swinging her around, throwing her girlfriend into the air before launching herself after.

Meanwhile, Ruby flipped out Crescent Rose, giving herself a bit of a boost while petals trailed in her wake.

It looked like there’d be a bit of a fight after all.

* * *

Winter brushed dirt from the borrowed cloak, a frown twisting her lips. As accustomed as she’d become to being wrong about various things in the past week or so, she still didn’t  _like_ it, and she should’ve guessed the soldiers serving under Semper would have decidedly less patience for her in particular than those back at the central base. Naturally, quite a few would have an objection to the idea of standing idly by while a combat force mounted an assault on Atlas Command, and she expected the majority of those loyal to their homeland would remain silent for the time being out of fear of being outnumbered.

However, seeing as Semper actually  _wasn’t_ too keen on ensuring her subordinates kept their damned mouths shut for the time being, word had gotten out, and a few soldiers opted to try stopping the attack before it began. That meant a small hail of bullets and a few dust grenades headed her way, among other things.

Blue eyes scanned the area around her, taking note of the groaning and wounded fools who’d thought they could take her by surprise. Although she might’ve been resigned to her desk position, she  _could_ still fight, Terry’s criticisms notwithstanding. Only a few managed to slip through her defenses, mostly because it seemed more like a free-for-all where those who dared try and stop the resistance worked up the nerve to attack only when it seemed like they might actually win, forcing her to not attack the various bystanders until they showed aggressive action first.

She rather hated being on the back foot.

“Uh, C-colonel?” A man spoke up, looking around and the smoldering holes left by the explosions and the few summons she had still roaming around after using her would-be attackers as chew toys. “You want-wanted to see me?”

Turning, she lifted her saber until the point of her blade rested just beneath his chin. “First, I’m planning on aiding a revolution to bring down Atlas Command. Are you going to try and stop me?”

He swallowed hard. “N-no? Ma’am?”

“Good man.” Removing her sword, she set it back at her hip. “Now, I’m sure you’ve heard Major Semper will be departing with us on a mission of her own; that leaves you in charge of this base, Captain. You will be charged with protecting the soldiers here, as well as any civilians who come under your care.”

Confusion splayed across his expression, just beneath the fear as his eyes darted around to the wounded. “Protect them?”

“Yes.” She paused, trying to find the right words. “I realize that many will not understand what I’m doing here, Captain. All of us have lived our lives believing that Atlas Command has our best interests at heart. But I no longer believe that to be the case and I cannot stand idly by while innocent people are murdered for the benefit of a select few. That is not why I put on that uniform.”

He looked down, first at his own attire before taking in hers. “What will happen if you succeed?”

“Those who wish to remain loyal to Atlas will be sent back. Those who wish to build a new future, one where we treat each other with the respect each of us deserves, may remain here, though it will take time for us to find our place.” She turned her head, looking at the forest beyond the base, picturing the canyon that stood between the trees and the mountains in the distance. Mistral will be returned to those we stole it from, just as Vale and Vacuo will. Menagerie will become a proper kingdom. The face of Remnant will change.”

“And… this… this is what you think is right?” Change sparked fear in even the most hardened soldiers, because change brought with it the unknown.

Winter never feared the unknown; she saw it as a challenge to overcome, a test to see how much she could learn and what she could do with that knowledge. She sought answers when others preferred lies. “Yes.”

“But… why?” He looked so lost then, and she could see how the others who’d gathered and watched, who traded whispers and looked like they might intervene as well, seemed to all pay close attention to her answer.

She squared her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. “Atlas Command charged me with leading an extermination force to murder every single last person in Menagerie. Genocide, Captain, and to quote a man smarter than I, I’ve grown rather tired of everyone else being ‘other’, and ‘other’ being code for ‘lesser’. I’ll not become a mass murderer.”

“But you’ll wage a war against Atlas Command?” Someone called out, and she looked around but found no one would meet her gaze.

“You truly believe they compare?” Winter raised her voice so everyone could hear- so they  _would_ hear, whether they wanted to or not. “You, soldiers of Atlas, who proclaim to be willing to lay down your lives to defend her, would balk at the idea of someone actually taking you up on the offer? If you do not believe in what you’re doing enough to put your own lives on the line, as you have sworn to do, perhaps you should re-examine your motives and your conscience, if you possess one.” Her frown worsened. “Children, unarmed civilians, effective slaves- murdering them in cold blood is a world away from meeting an opposing force on the field of battle. To call them the same proves that you’ve blinded yourself to the horrors we’ve committed with our own hands. If I were to strike you down now, simply because I could, would that be fair? Would it be right? Would it be just?” No one met her gaze, because judging by the insignias on their shoulders and lapels, she very well  _could_ do exactly that, and face no repercussions for her actions, and while they might secretly curse their lot in life, they would never voice that displeasure out of fear. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Rose appearing in a flutter of petals, her cloak whipping about her, but this remained something she had to do herself. For as compelling as the woman could be, Winter realized that the soldiers around her still held her in some regard, and her voice would carry farther for that fact alone. “I will not have innocent blood on my hands again. I will join the march on Atlas Command and hold them accountable for the suffering they’ve caused and I will destroy any who seek to protect them, to defend them, to assert that Atlas, as conquerors and traitors to their own allies, to their own people, hold any greater right over the world than those from whom they stole it away.” She paused, long enough to pick up on the faint shouts, the rhythm of boots running through the forest, of Dragon’s voice rallying the resistance into a potential assault. They likely took the little… disagreement earlier as signs of trouble. “You can fear the truth all you wish; that won’t change it. We’ve done terrible things in the name of Atlas and we’ve justified them in whatever way helped us sleep at night. I did, too, but I’ve since come to see the world not as Atlas Command wishes it to be, but how it is. We are monsters of our own design, and, if that is all I can be, I will turn on those who made me what I am. They deserve no better fate for daring to proclaim themselves better than others. If it were even the slightest bit true, then they’d have nothing to fear; the truth is, we’re all the same yet different. And  _no one_  is above or below anyone else.”

Silence prevailed among the soldiers, gradually impeded upon as the resistance arrived, all ready to join a battle that hadn’t occurred. Or, rather, hoping for one they could actually fight, for a war did wage within every soldier standing in the yard just then. However, it wasn’t the physical sort.

“Ma’am?” She turned towards Captain Wilder and nodded, bidding him to speak. It took him a moment before he found the words and fear threaded through them, plain as the day breaking. “Atlas is my home. I don’t- I- what happens to Mistral isn’t-”

“Then I suggest you return,” she said, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. “And stay out of our way. When Atlas Command falls, it’ll be up to people like you to rebuild her into a kingdom worthy of serving.” Very deliberately, she put a hand on her sword. “Though I caution you to remember that, once liberated, the kingdoms of Remnant will never bow to Atlas again. The future is one of cooperation, seeing each other as equals, and  _nothing less_.”

He nodded, taking a step back, and in what little she could glean from the soldiers crowded into the yard, many would follow the Captain rather than Semper or her. A few looked disgruntled, displeased with the charges she’d laid out, but they hid their emotions as best they could as a few seemed to sneak glances at the Faunus who’d gathered, hope shining in a few faces while others obviously remained skeptical.

She didn’t expect to take any of these soldiers with them against Atlas; upon revealing her allegiance, she’d frankly anticipated some resistance, but nothing that would impede their departure. With communication restored to the bases around Mistral, though, there stood a chance they’d return to a kingdom under siege by the Atlesian forces that remained.

Winter swallowed past the lump in her throat as she realized she may have already lied. More innocent blood might very well be on her hands in the near future.

“Ma’am?” She turned her head, noting the soldier who approached and faltered, unable to tell if he should salute or not before opting against it. At any other time, she might’ve considered it a slight, but now she could see something akin to respect- confused, admittedly, but sincere all the same- as he continued. “Major Thorn would like to speak with you.”

“Very well.” With a nod, she turned to follow him, but found her arm caught by Rose.

“You’re not a monster.” Silver eyes flashed, demanding she brook no argument. “But if the things you’ve done in the past make you a monster, the things you’re doing now make you a hero.”

The corners of her mouth tugged, almost a smile. “I hope I can believe that one day.”

Somehow, she felt like Ruby took that as a challenge. “Hurry back, Wolf of Mistral. We don’t have much time.”

She nodded before turning away, and then a small grin  _did_ claim her lips.

Wolf of Mistral. She rather liked the sound of that.


	10. Mistral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone still sticking around, we're finally getting towards the end. This has been a helluva ride! Thanks, y'all, and thanks Aranea for supporting this madness.

Winter followed the soldier into a seldom used office, likely the only one spared the destruction of the main communications system. An old, severely outdated terminal was rigged in one corner, the screen flickering with a familiar visage. Major Thorn seemed a bit… surprised when she stood in front of it, blinking and leaning closer to the screen.

“Colonel? It’s really you. Then…”

“I’ll thank you to stop using that rank, Major.” She offered him a small smile. “I’m not a soldier anymore.”

“So, it’s true. You’ve turned against Atlas Command.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “You realize I’ll have to order your arrest and execution.”

“Do whatever is necessary to complete your mission, Major,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “Once Atlas Command falls, you’ll likely be on your own for some time, until a new command structure is set in place and communications restored.”

“Well, I-”

“Hold on!” Suddenly, Major Thorn was shoved out of the way to make room for Lieutenant DeLeon, who stared in abject shock at the screen. “You really abandoned us? Just like that?”

“Yes and no.” Winter squared her shoulders. “You know best of everyone how I failed my soldiers when they needed me, Lieutenant. It was never my intention for them to die and they only died because Atlas Command prizes blind obedience over all else. The only way to protect the people of Atlas, our fellow soldiers, and all of Remnant, is to put an end to Atlas Command. That’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Some of the shock bled away from DeLeon’s expression, her shoulders slumping. “Where does that leave us?”

“Precisely where you choose to be.” She nodded slowly, leaning back from the screen. “I would advise the Major to put out orders immediately. All Atlesians who wish to remain loyal to Atlas would do well to return. All those wishing to make a new life here, and make amends for transgressions of the past, will be allowed to remain and work beside the locals to rebuild. And those who wish to stop me are welcomed to try, and more welcomed to suffer the consequences of so foolish a choice.”

The Lieutenant blinked, looking away for a moment- long enough for the Major to lightly push her aside. “Col- I mean… Ma’am…” He pressed his lips into a thin line. “I will issue the order tomorrow morning. By then, your… plan should be complete, correct?”

“Yes.” Winter paused, going over everything they’d discussed the night before to ensure she didn’t set them up for some manner of failure. “Tonight will be Atlas Command’s last sunset.”

He nodded. “I see-”

“Wait, is it too late to sign up?” DeLeon managed to push the Major back out of the way, and she could see the Sergeant peeking in from the corner of the screen. “I mean, I’m kinda _all for_ the ‘kick people in the teeth’ plan, and I never liked my hometown much anyway.”

“Then you’ll do your best work here. I’ve already found a few poor souls who think a violent disagreement is better than simply letting history take its course. Keep them from causing too much of a fuss.”

“Is that an order?”

She smirked. “I daresay I’m not authorized to give those out anymore.”

“Means I get to do it _my_ way; works for me.” DeLeon straightened up and saluted, matching Winter’s expression. “Best of luck, Ma’am.”

Sergeant Forecastle and Major Thorn followed suit and, though she thought about reminding them she had no use for such customs anymore, she returned it all the same. “Protect our people, you three. I’m counting on you. That hasn’t changed.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

With one last nod, she turned away from the screen and brushed out of the office, eager to rejoin Rose and the others. They had a long day ahead of them.

* * *

Ruby scanned the docks, watching as they supplies they would need were loaded up. Pyrrha had set to work on figuring out who would be in which airships; they wanted to take as many as they could conceivably fly, because the added weaponry would be vital; at the same time, ensuring they had enough people to fly _and_ operate those weapons could be tricky. Then, of course, there was Winter’s flagship- a huge monstrosity easily four times the size of the regular ones, with more firepower than she’d dared dream of wielding against Atlas Command.

For that boon, though, they paid a steep price, and she had to keep an eye on the Atlesian soldiers milling about as much as her own forces. The last thing they needed would be some manner of traitor in their midsts.

“Rose!” She turned her head, acknowledging Blake as she approached. “I docked our ships on the far side; we’re refueling and ready to head back up.”

“Yeah, we’re just about ready, too.” Yang chimed in, coming up on her other side. “I told everyone to meet back here when they’re done. You wanted to talk to ‘em, right?”

“Yeah.” Ruby nodded, turning around to regard the base. The whole place seemed in some manner of disarray as those loyal to Semper abandoned everything, packing up the airships they’d need and tearing their uniforms to shreds, obviously renouncing the association. Others, those who wouldn’t stand against their government but wouldn’t defend it either, shuffled around, almost lost, though the Captain now heading the base tried to get them to go back to work- while steering clear of the other two factions occupying the base, of course. Then there were those who… well, their gazes seemed to linger on Flynt’s former soldiers most, and some edged closer as if to speak, but shied away; those swayed by Winter’s words, who felt compelled to try to start making right but couldn’t seem to find a way to approach.

Then, of course, there were the troublemakers, those who’d attempted to stop Winter earlier. They were either covered in restraints or still unconscious, though she suspected more of them were hiding amongst the soldiers milling about.

“Makes ya kinda wish we’d just fought ‘em, huh?” Yang’s sour frown could be easily heard. “Beats having them watch us like this.”

“Maybe not,” she replied, pushing her hood back. “Maybe this is the perfect time to start making our next move.”

Her sister hummed, crossing her arms over her chest. “You have a better sense for these kinda things than I do.”

“I don’t think it could hurt.” Blake motioned towards their masks. “We agreed we’d take these off after Atlas Command falls and there’s nothing the soldiers here can do about that now.”

Slowly, she reached up and removed her mask as those who followed them began to gather, the last of the supplies being loaded up. Anonymity aided them before, when the idea of fighting back weighed more than they did. As she’d explained to Winter, it allowed them to be flexible, to let others take their place if they fell. They existed as ideas, symbols, impossible to destroy entirely, but ideas couldn’t _lead_ people. Motivate them, sure, but guidance and leadership had to come from a voice, from a recognizable face, or else they’d be just like the Generals of Atlas, this court of names that made decisions without ever once revealing their humanity. For now, her face would do, her voice, which lifted up to carry across the docks.

“Listen up!” All eyes turned to her- tribemates, rebels, White Fang, and even the former soldiers. “The time has come for us to strike a decisive blow against Atlas Command. For some, it’s a recent development, a chance to send a strong message that the murder of innocents and the disdain which Atlas regards all others will no longer be tolerated. For most, it’s the realization of a lifelong mission, the culmination of years spent seeking revenge for the loss of our mothers, fathers, parents, brothers, sisters, siblings, children, partners, our homes, and, for some, our very souls. Atlas Command… has taken much from each of us.” The list elicited two reactions. From her allies, a host of emotions mixed together: anger, sorrow, loss, and the fiery passion for revenge. From the Atlesians she could see out of the corner of her eyes, shock and surprise, that quickly evolved into realization. Good. “But tonight, we will repay the agony in a way they would never think possible- by holding them accountable for their actions. They sought to kill us in our beds; we will strike them at their base, where they have every advantage, and we’ll triumph anyway. Because _we_ are justice incarnate, _we_ are fueled by lifetimes of wrong, _we_ are the children of the world they burned, and _we_ will never give up, never surrender, and, with the world as our witness, we will never bow our heads in obedience again!”

Voices rose up from every throat as all the pain that pushed them to this point solidified into a weapon stronger than any blade and more dangerous than dust. Individually, they were a collection of unique scars, each story one of woe. Unified, they were unstoppable.

“Let’s go now,” she said, pointing at the sea and the kingdom beyond, the source of their heartache. “Not as thousands of different stories of anguish but as one people united by a common goal. To free Remnant of Atlas’ oppression, to drive back the invading armies, and to fight for a future those who come after us deserve. One free of the fear if, today, someone you’ve never met gets to decide how you die.” She raised Crescent Rose in its scythe form above her head. “Tonight, the sun sets on Atlas’ empire carved in blood! Tomorrow, it rises on a Remnant where every person, human or Faunus, from every village in every kingdom, has the right to live free!”

Another shout went up as many weapons joined herself, held aloft in solidarity.

Yang saw her opportunity and stepped forward, raising a gauntlet clad fist into the air. “We are one tribe, united by grief, bound by the blood of those taken from us too soon! Together, we will stand triumphant!”

“One people.” Blake said, calling out to her White Fang and their allies, raising her own blade. “One people to reclaim our homes, our birthrights, our places in a world that was stolen from us! Tonight, we take all that back together!”

More shouting, louder, the roar of a thousand voices as one. Ruby had only dreamed of this before, that one day they’d reached the final stages of the ‘easy’ part. Taking anger and turning it into action, that didn’t pose much of a challenge, especially with Atlas Command making every decision for them. Still, to hear it and see it- Raven would be proud. Summer, too.

And when the shouting died down, another voice rose in its wake.

“Some of us don’t fight for those reasons.” As one, Ruby, Yang, and Blake turned to see Weiss pointedly sweeping her gaze over the Atlesians mixed in with the others, those few who seemed to want to join in the fervor but hesitating. “We have lived our whole lives in relative comfort and safety, free of the burden of being hated and hunted and forsaken. We helped take their homes and their lives, without question. We do not fight for revenge; we fight for redemption.” She paused, drawing her own sword. “We fight to reject the charge that life is expendable so long as that life belongs to someone different than us. We fight to undo the horrors of our forefathers and ourselves. We fight to protect the voices of those our government silenced and put an end to the genocide that would’ve crept to our doorstep, aided by our own hands.” Her jaw clenched. “We fight to be reborn and while forgiveness might be out of reach, redemption is not. Tonight, we stand and fight with those we persecuted so that the crimes we’ve committed are stopped. We fight to end the suffering, the senseless murder, the rules and regulations and expectations that gave us excuses to turn a blind eye to all the ills of this world- ills _we_ helped create.” She tilted her chin up while raising her sword. “We fight for peace, just like them. We fight for life, just like them. We fight for freedom and we fight to protect the next generation from growing up in a world of fear and hate. We fight for different reasons, yes, but we will fight _just_ as hard. We fight, too.”

The Atlesians raised their voices in response and- to her surprise- they were joined by the White Fang and the tribe and everyone else, and Ruby didn’t miss how some of the sound came from behind them as well, far louder than she would’ve expected. Here lay the piece she was missing, because _now_ they were truly unified by one single purpose, and a purpose that didn’t end once they left Atlas Command in shambles. Not just regarding the Atlesians within Mistral’s borders as a problem to deal with once they returned but as potential allies, ones who could reform after acknowledging the mistakes of the past. That Weiss and Winter were always so adamant about framing their current position as one of redemption- that seemed to resonate with the guilt that clung to so many of their fellow soldiers.

When Ruby lowered her scythe, she couldn’t see a single person who hadn’t raised theirs with her, and she had to smile. “Everyone, to the ships. We go to war!”

The docks burst into a flurry of movement, people running every which way, following the coordinations already made. Putting Crescent Rose at the small of her back, she affixed her mask in place before turning towards Weiss, who seemed a bit… embarrassed.

“I… probably could’ve worded that better.” She bit her lip, replacing her sword at her side. “I just thought- Winter would’ve said-”

“Something very similar to that.” The woman in question joined them, smiling and putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “It’s very important right now that our allies understand we’re with them until the end, that though we can’t claim to feel their fury, we understand and support it, and that we’re just as dedicated to ensuring this nightmare ends.”

“Word’s gonna spread pretty quick.” Yang pointed out. “Those forces from Menagerie are probably going to be released.”

“Perhaps but I have the sneaking suspicion they’ll be escorted back to Atlas rather than allowed to run free across Mistral.” She nodded, almost to herself. “Regardless, I will personally attend to any issues that arise from the Atlesians here in Mistral.”

“By yourself?” Ruby raised a brow, flipping up her hood.

“I’m sure Terry and Flynt would like to help but I’d need to ask them, first,” she replied, a slight twist to her lips. “I daresay both would find the exercise refreshing.”

A sigh left her lips as her shoulders relaxed- she hadn’t even noticed the tension until it bled away. “Good. We’ll talk more about it once we get back.”

“Then let’s load up.” Yang jerked her head towards the flagship. “We’re going to lead the formation over there. Then, Cat’ll take over and head into the fight while the rest of us drop down to the facility.”

As the others started towards the flagship, Ruby followed but hung back until she could walk beside Winter. “So, everything went pretty good?”

“As well as I could’ve hoped.” Her lips twitched. “But make no mistake, Rose. When we return, it’ll be to a kingdom at war. While I am confident some will want to leave quietly, many won’t, and there _will_ be a force to rise up against them. I would strongly suggest you warn the people here as best you can. They should try to avoid Atlesians in the weeks to come.”

She hummed, glancing at the horizon. To some extent, being only a small part of a much larger plan killed her, because she’d rather be able to bounce between war fronts, aid wherever she could. However, they were too close now to turn back and Atlas Command constituted the majority of their problem; without the power structure in place, it would become a jockeying amongst factions.

“I’ll get the word out, one way or another.” That was all she’d meant to say but, somehow, a few more slipped out. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

“No, I don’t mean about the intel.” She looked at the woman, noting the slight quirk of her lips in confusion. “I mean… comparatively speaking, fighting Atlas Command seemed like the more tangible of our goals. It’s just fighting and we’ve been fighting all our lives. What comes after, though, that’s the hard part, but… I dunno. I guess it just doesn’t seem as hard when I know I’ve got you on my side.”

“I’m flattered you think so highly of me.” And there it appeared again, the twist of her lips that signal doubt or some depreciating comment about to leave them, more dwelling on the mistakes in her part. “I’m not sure-”

“Well _I_ am.” Her gaze lingered for a moment on the white cloak and the clasp. “I’m sure. It might’ve just been chance that we ended up crossing paths.” A smirk as she thought of Pyrrha and the legend of the Maidens. “Some might call it destiny. Either way, I’m grateful for it.”

For a moment, Winter remained silent. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome-”

“You didn’t let me finish.” She stopped and Ruby did, too. “Thank you for seeing something in me when I couldn’t see anything at all. I don’t know why you opted to trust me when I’d done nothing to deserve it but I likely wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” Then, her voice took on a haunted quality, something that ran far deeper than fear. “Or, if I was, I’m not sure if I’d recognize the person I’d become. So thank you for saving me before I even realized I needed it.”

A chuckle burst from her lips. “Me? Save the Wolf of Azulen?”

“The Wolf of Mistral.” She lightly corrected as they started up the flagship’s ramp. “And I think it’s an apt description; I’d shudder to think what monikers I might’ve earned otherwise.” A brief frown that she quickly swept away, lowering her voice slightly. “And you can’t very well call _me_ a hero when you’re the only reason I’m here. That makes you a hero, too.”

“Huh.” Ruby could feel a bit of a blush creeping into her cheeks. “Guess I can’t argue with that.”

“You really can’t.” Once they’d both boarded, the ramp began to lift while the engines roared to life. Soon, they’d be airborne and well on their way. “I’m sure you’re needed on the bridge. I… will join you soon, if that’s alright.”

And just like that, the fuzzy feeling that had started to grow in her chest vanished. “Is something wrong?”

“Not exactly.” A slight wince as she turned her head away, looking down a hallway leading further into the ship. “My mother is a fearsome opponent, an accomplished duelist, and a master of our hereditary semblance. If I’m going to defeat her, I’ll need to come up with some manner of trick, some gambit that will catch her off guard.”

Winter turned as if to leave but she reached out, grabbing the white fabric to hold her in place. “I’m sorry you have to do this. It... must be hard, fighting you mom. I wish there was another way.”

Ruby could tell that it weighed on her heavily; she might be absolutely, unquestionably resolute in her chosen course of action, but that didn’t stop the regret from festering, even before she’d done anything.

Eventually, she nodded and admitted in a very soft voice. “I wish there was, too.”

Stepping forward, she wrapped the woman up in a hug, trying to impart as much comfort as she could. If Winter wished to be alone, she’d respect that, but she should at least know she had a sympathetic ear to turn to, if needed. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll send someone to find you when we get close.”

A bit awkwardly, Winter returned the embrace. “Thank you.”

This time, she needed no clarification nor did she seek any. Instead, she simply held the woman a few more seconds before drawing back and turning to head towards the bridge.

She pointedly ignored the fact that Yang was waiting for her nearby and the heavy silence between them as they walked.

* * *

Winter found a nice, quiet corner in the flagship- not her personal quarters, seeing as she rather disliked the overall arrangement, but rather the stern viewing gallery, where she could see Mistral becoming a speck in the distance, beyond all the other airships following them. Removing her mask and setting it on a table nearby, she walked to the wide glass windows, staring out while her mind wandered.

The last time she’d participated in a formation like this, it was a show of force following the attack at Azulen, a method of displaying that the military might of Atlas hadn’t diminished. Since then, she’d actually avoided flying as much as possible, purely because there seemed to be more work that needed doing and a _show_ of force amounted to nothing in that regard.

Clasping her hands behind her back, Winter let out a deep, weary sigh. Some part of her thought it foolish that she was actually going to _try_ to come up with some manner of defeating Mother. Several times, she’d seen with her own eyes the power at the woman’s fingertips, had watched with envy as she wielded two long blades compared to Winter’s saber and dagger. For almost her whole life, Mother was the standard she measured herself by, and she never came up as anything more than a pale shadow.

Yet, she would try. Not to prove herself to the woman, though. It wouldn’t be like those rare visits home, subjected to combat tests to gauge her proficiency, no. She would try because she had a mission; Ruby needed someone she could count on to help fight when they returned to Mistral. Someone who could at least show Atlas Command for their true colors. Someone the Atlesians felt they could trust to tell them the truth.

In the end, though, that duty might fall to Weiss.

"Winter?"

Her lips tugged into a smile. "I was just thinking of you."

"Good thoughts I hope." She turned to watch Weiss enter the room, setting her mask beside Winter's and adjusting the loose fitting white top- obviously an extra White Fang uniform by the looks of it, though the black belt looked slightly different than the standard fare. Belatedly, she realized it resembled the old outfits rather than what the current Fang members wore, what with their dashes of red thrown into the design. It looked much better than her military uniform, even if she seemed just as ill at ease with her arms bare. "There's... something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Now seems the best time to discuss it," she said, turning back to look through the windows while her sister approached. From experience, she knew Weiss had a tendency to balk under her gaze, to defer, so she gave her the room to speak freely. "What's on your mind?"

"A few months back, I told you I was ambushed while returning from a mission... but that was a lie." She could hear her sister approaching, her steps a bit uneven as she tried to find the right words. "I... actually met Blake during that time."

Winter keenly remembered the conversation, and the fury in her voice as she demanded answers from the commanding officer of Menagerie. She also remembered giving the woman a hard time when she called, chiding her to remain more aware of her surroundings, instructing her to take more soldiers or Knights with her- in hindsight, she'd been a bit harsh. "Is that when you began to question Atlas Command?"

"Yes. I questioned... many things.” The hint of sadness in her voice brought a frown to her lips. “They sent me to gather intel on the Faunus, when we suspected there might be a resurgence of White Fang activity." Weiss stepped up beside her, both of them gazing out. "Rather than find the White Fang, I found... something else." A brief pause. "I watched them return home from the mines, exhausted and covered in grime, yet somehow finding ways to smile. They laughed and made the best of terrible conditions. They were kind to one another, charitable, and I realized they... treated each other better than we treat... well, anyone."

In the back of her mind, Winter rapidly relived a hundred memories. Times when Weiss and Whitley, in the course of being children, broke something or were too loud, and the sharp rebukes all three of them earned- a habit she'd carried herself for far too long. Punishing people for simply trying to live; kindness was earned through obedience and denied otherwise. "I can see why that would make you wonder."

Her sister chuckled bitterly. "My curiosity motivated me to keep looking. I thought, perhaps, if I transferred to the mines, I could observe more of how they treated one another... instead, I saw how _we_ treated them." Her voice took on a haunted quality, shaking slightly. "They don't let just anyone oversee the mines- anyone with a conscience, with a heart, a soul? I refuse to believe they'd do that or allow it to happen." She took a shaky breath. "I had to get out of there- I didn't care about my mission, I just wanted to find a way to stop it. People... no one deserves that. But in my haste, I ran into something and, the next thing I knew, I was buried under rubble. Then, it all went black."

That, at least, seemed to match up with the state Weiss was found in upon returning to her base. No wonder she'd opted to say she'd been ambushed. "How did you escape?"

"Blake found me."

"She saved you?" Winter raised a brow, more surprised by the details than the outcome. "Even knowing you were military?"

"I was in disguise; she thought me some civilian who'd wandered into the mine. The guards there... they didn't mind so much who entered, so long as no one left until the next shift arrived." Weiss traced along a faint scar that ran across her bicep. "Her parents tended my wounds until I woke up. Nothing my aura couldn't repair, of course, but they insisted." A twitch of her lips. "Those who awaken their aura are conscripted; they were trying to protect me. Even when they really had no reason to do so." Her sister glanced her way, briefly. "I spent some time with them before revealing the truth and… they didn’t hate me. Even when they had every right to, they continued to show me kindness, compassion.” A small pause. “Blake... means a lot to me."

Her other brow joined its twin. "She means a lot to you?"

"She suffered through my ignorance. She listened when I repeated the lies I knew. She's patient and passionate and..." She swallowed, hard. "I fell in love with her, Winter. I just- I need you to understand that."

Slowly, she nodded. "She saved you from the person you would've become. I _do_ understand that."

"Really?"

The surprise laced through her tone- it took a moment to understand where it came from and, when she did, it almost hurt. "You thought I'd object because she's Faunus? That I'd try to talk you out of it?"

"It... wouldn't be the first time you tried talking me out of something." Weiss gently pointed out and she couldn't rightly argue the point. "I know you've always looked out for me-"

Winter turned, wrapping her arms around her sister and startling her briefly. "I didn't do a very good job. We've lived our whole lives never questioning the things we should have. I didn't protect you from the worst parts of this world; I encouraged you to make them worse." Mother had expressed doubt either Weiss or Whitley would fare well in the military, despite it being the family legacy. It was _her_ encouragement that bolstered their confidence; as members to one of the privileged few, they could've done whatever they wished. But they listened to her. "But if this is where your heart lies, listen to it. Pursue your happiness. Dark days may be ahead of us, so take what light you can and never apologize for it."

After the surprise passed, Weiss hugged her back. "I think you did rather well. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I'd likely be at home, reading about this or hearing it on the news, and I'd probably think... some very unpleasant things without realizing how wrong I was." She drew back a little bit. "Blake saved me from who I might've become, yes. But so did you. You just didn't realize it at the time."

With a soft chuckle, she did something she hadn't in years- she pressed a kiss to the top of her sister's head, like she used to do when they were small. "I'm very proud of you, Weiss." Her expression faltered. "You should spend some time with her. We may not have much left."

"I will but I wanted you to know, just in case..." Weiss stepped back, a furrow coming to her brows. "I... don't suppose you have anything you'd like to tell me."

That caught her off guard, especially with the way her sister seemed to be looking at the cloak around her shoulders. "What are you implying?"

“Where did you get that?” She changed the subject, reaching out to touch the fabric. “It doesn’t seem like it was made for you.”

“It wasn’t,” she replied, shrugging slightly. “It belonged to Ruby’s mother. She was murdered for standing up to Atlesian soldiers. She’s part of the reason the whole resistance came together.”

“And she’s letting you wear it?”

“She worried I’d be cold.” A frown tugged at her lips as she stared out at the airships. It seemed easier to deal with than her sister’s fixation on her wardrobe. “I didn’t _ask_ for it and she’s expecting it back.”

“It seems like quite the memento to give out.” Weiss stepped around, so she could barely see the woman out of the corner of her eye. “It must mean something to her, right?”

“Of course it does; she only gave it to me because she feared I’d do something foolish and not return from this mission. It’s… her way of motivating me to survive.”

Winter had tried to ignore it. Ever since she’d found the fabric thrown around her shoulders and fixed into place, she’d done her best to take care of the cloak and think of it only as a promise. Anything else… well, she probably didn’t deserve.

“She’s a bit odd, don’t you think?” Her sister scrunched her nose up, crossing her arms over her chest. “Always on the move, jumping from task to task, and that semblance of hers, it’s so messy-”

“Stop,” she said, leveling a hard look at the woman. “She’s an incredibly talented warrior and a brilliant tactician coordinating a global resistance; she’s allowed her eccentricities. Ruby’s intelligent, compassionate, inspiring- she’s absolutely wonderful.”

“And that’s your unbiased opinion, I’m sure.”

Winter narrowed her eyes. “If you have something to say, simply say it.”

“Fine.” She dropped her arms to her sides. “I don’t believe you’d follow just anyone like this. You’re just as stubborn as I am; once you’ve committed to a course, no matter how reckless, you’ll see it through. You’ve proven that time and time again, but when you say you’re going to try to come back… I think you mean it, even if it goes against your original plan.”

Pressing her lips into a thin line, she turned her gaze back towards the windows. “I simply want to see her achieve her ends. I think… I _believe_ the world she’s going to help build will be a better one… and I believe it’ll make her happy. I’ll do what I can to ensure that.”

“I believe she saved you the way Blake saved me, to use your words, and that means more to you than you’re letting on.”

She winced. “Weiss… please, let it go. I…” A moment passed as she swallowed, trying to find the words. “Ruby is… important. To me, to others- and she has a long ways to go before her mission is complete. I will help her in any way I can. She’s…” A glance. “She’s more than just the leader of a revolution. She’s a friend I don’t deserve.”

Silence stretched between them. “I hope she makes you believe otherwise one day.”

Winter didn’t respond, keeping her gaze locked on the airships. It seemed a foolish thought to entertain, that there might be a time and place for… learning more about each other on a personal level. Questions had popped up during her brief time in the woman’s company but she’d set them aside again and again; they weren’t pertinent to the mission and, ergo, had no place in conversation. But she did wonder and she would like to know…

Weiss seemed to sense that pushing any further wouldn’t do either of them any good. “If you’re planning on surviving the confrontation with Mother, you’ll need to come up with a strategy she doesn’t expect.”

“A task much easier said than done,” she replied, her expression sliding into thoughtfulness as she pushed aside all else. In the hours to come, her feelings would be the absolute _lowest_ priority. “Frankly, there’s likely nothing she hasn’t thought of already.”

“You’re not wrong.” Her sister hummed, her chin dropping as her brow furrowed in thought. “Is it too late to try adding a dust chamber to your rapier? Like Myrtenaster has.”

“I’m afraid so,” she replied, having already considered implementing such a change. Mother always disliked the idea, as if murder could be more respectable if done without the aid of so destructive a substance. “As loathe as I am to admit it, I believe there’s only one option left.” A sigh left her lips as her hands clenched into fists. “I swore I’d never do it again… but it’s the only way.”

Weiss shifted nervously, immediately picking up on the single taboo that would suitably surprise the woman. “May I stay while you try? Just in case?”

Although she didn’t _like_ the idea, it wasn’t a bad one. “Draw your blade and be ready. The last time… didn’t turn out well.”

Nodding, she stood off to the side, behind Winter as she moved to the center of the room and drew her own sword. Immediately, a score of glyphs appeared before her, and from each spawned a summon… but none of the ones she regularly used.

Bright blue eyes- unnaturally so- stared at her as they stood, moving slightly and adjusting to their new existence, but intelligence flashed there. Unlike the Grimm- mindless creatures of destruction that could be turned to whatever needed destroying with little effort- the people she’d slain in battle had fractured memories of their former selves. A few seconds after they formed, their hollow voices called out.

_“Murderer!”_

_“Bastard!”_

_“Fascist!”_

_“Killer!”_

Those were some of the tame ones, followed by a multitude that built up not only in the room but in her mind. For all the physical motions they had to take in order to summon from their glyphs, a subconscious element existed as well, and it was that underlying drive that commanded her Beowolves and whatever other Grimm she might’ve summoned. Now, that subconscious link acted as a megaphone as a dozen cries echoed in her mind, charges against her, the vestiges of fury that had died with those she’d killed, with a softer but no less insistent chorus of pleading- final goodbyes to loved ones, prayers, cries for mercy. The last moments of their lives, immortalized forever in these forms slowly advancing towards her.

Before, it had overpowered her, and she’d dismissed the whole lot of them with her blade rather than trying to do it any other way. This time, she opted for a different approach.

“You’re right.” The summons advancing on her paused, as if waiting for her to continue. “I murdered you. I killed you unjustly and I’m sorry for that.” For a moment, silence, and then the voices came back, louder than before, swirling about her head until it became nigh impossible to think. It made her knees weak, her free hand clutching at her head to try and stymie the mounting pressure, but she continued regardless. “I was wrong before! I thought I was doing the right thing, but I wasn’t! I need your help to set this right!”

For a moment, everything went quiet. Then, a continuous, howling chant of ‘ _how_ ’ reverberated through her skull, and then her knees _did_ buckle as she nearly dropped her sword. Anger, remorse, pain- so many emotions that weren’t hers laced through the words and she became dimly aware of Weiss at her side, trying to help her to her feet as the summons advanced again, the weapons they’d wielded in life returning to their hands.

“By destroying Atlas Command!” She shouted, just trying to get the words out, and gasping for breath when everything… stopped. “We’re en route now, to fight a battle against those who drove myself and so many like me to become monsters. Please, help me defeat them, destroy them, repay them in kind for the pain you and so many others have suffered. Please.”

Slowly, she got to her feet, surprised by the absolute silence in her mind as each of the summons began to relax.

_“Truth.”_

_“The truth.”_

_“Revenge.”_

_“Make them pay.”_

The whispers didn’t seem hostile and she nodded. “Together.”

_“Together.”_

_“Call on us.”_

_“Together.”_

_“No mercy.”_

Releasing her concentration, the summons began to flake and disperse, gradually dispatching themselves rather than the manner in which she’d dismiss her Grimm summons. But just that little bit had drained her more than she was willing to admit, though most of the toll came from the rolling emotions than nearly drowned her. She’d rather not go through _that_ again but hopefully the next time she called upon them, they would be a bit… easier to handle. Or at least quieter.

“It worked?” Weiss’ voice trembled slightly. “I could… hear them saying things but-”

“It worked,” she replied, putting a hand to her head. As much as she hated the idea, an obvious course of action presented itself. “But… I need to lie down.”

“Of course.”

“Please tell Ruby that I’m in my quarters if she needs me.” She took a few steps, reached out to grab for her mask, and then stopped to send a look at her sister. “And don’t read into that.”

She didn’t like the smile that answered her. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Winter sighed and continued on her way. She _really_ didn’t have the energy to deal with it at present.

* * *

Ruby pressed her lips into a thin line, peeking over the shoulders of Ghira and Kali as they piloted the flagship and explained the various controls to Yang and Pyrrha. Although the whole lot of them had something of a crash course in operating airships, Blake’s parents seemed to have the best handle on it, having learned from Weiss’ lessons and the trip over from Menagerie. They’d agreed to everyone else taking turns on the way there and back while the two handled the battle.

Frankly, her sister seemed more excited about the prospect of piloting the blasted thing than she did.

“Weiss?” Operating with a skeleton crew of White Fang plus the group that would strike at Atlas Command, Blake had taken off her mask for the time being, allowing the worry in her expression to shine through unimpeded. “What’s wrong?”

Ruby looked over her shoulder, noting the slight tremble in the woman’s arms as she tried to wave off Blake’s concerns. “It’s nothing-”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.” Ears pinning back against her skull, she opened her arms and pulled the woman into a gentle embrace. “Did… it not go well?”

“What? Oh, no, that went fine.” A disjointed chuckle left her lips, happy but… a little hollow. “Winter’s happy. For both of us.” She paused, looking down, expression pinching into one of agony. “But I’m worried about her… for other reasons.”

That _immediately_ got Ruby’s full attention. “Is she alright?”

Weiss hummed, choosing her words carefully. “She broke one of our oldest taboos and it… took a considerable amount of energy. She went to lie down in her quarters to rest.”

“What could she _possibly_ have done in the past half hour that would wear her out that much?” Yang raised a brow, leaning away from the console. “I mean, we’re trusting her to handle your mom once we strike for the command building. How’d she wear herself out _that_ quickly? Is she going to be up to, ya know, the _actual_ fight?”

But silver eyes narrowed as she noted the way Weiss’ posture shifted, as if she didn’t want to reveal any more than she already had. It reminded her of… something.

And then it clicked. “I’ll go check on her.” She flashed a smile at her sister, one she hoped appeared genuine enough. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

As much as she didn’t appreciate the knowing smirk that answered her, she’d take it over further questioning and left the bridge to follow the signs that led to the officer quarters. It wouldn’t be too hard to find- although spacious, the flagship was obviously meant to be operated by a mostly autonomous crew- and she had that time to run through a hundred alternatives before dismissing each out of hand. While summoning obviously exhausted Winter, only maintaining them for long periods of time seemed to wear her down, and only one type of summoning seemed to qualify as ‘taboo’ from what she’d gleaned.

Regardless, she refused to let go of the squirming unease in the pit of her stomach until she’d reached the commanding officer’s quarters, hesitating only briefly before knocking.

“Enter.” The voice that answered her sounded thick from either sleep or exhaustion and she entered the room quickly to find it awash in a weak light from an emergency light in the far corner. “I trust Weiss didn’t worry you too much.”

“You said you don’t desecrate the dead,” she said, gaze falling on the bed, where Winter had apparently sat down at the edge and fallen back rather than properly lying down. Ruby slowly stepped into the room, the door closing behind her. “Do you really think going back on that is your best option?”

The woman sighed, struggling to sit up, and in her face reflected a thousand woes. “Unfortunately, I do. But… this time, I think, I’m giving them a chance to avenge themselves. I am not bending them to my will; I am joining mine to theirs.”

Ruby sat beside her, noting the hollowness in her eyes. “Are they… still alive? In any sense?”

“No, at least, not by any standard we can measure. They’re just… snapshots, frozen forever in their moment of death, concentrated shards of fury and sorrow.” Slowly, she put her head in her hands. “The first time I tried, I killed them again to dispatch them. I couldn’t… face their fury and sorrow; I couldn’t control them the way I could the Grimm.” She swallowed, taking a shuddering breath. “Now, I have their fragmented minds in the back of mine.”

Gently, she put a hand on the woman’s back, the fear that perhaps the woman had descended into madness or crossed a line better left uncrossed subsiding for the moment. Perhaps she’d still done that but at least with the understanding of her decision and… _some_ manner of agreement with those she called back. “What happens to them after this?”

“I hope that they can find peace.” Blue eyes looked to her then, obviously holding back tears. “But I can only hope.”

Ruby pressed her lips into a thin line. “Come on. You should probably lay down. You need your rest.” Although Winter tried to argue for a brief moment, she quickly conceded as she was tugged into laying down properly. Hesitating briefly, Ruby rolled onto her side to watch as the woman’s eyes closed and a wince flickered over her expression. “Is it always like this? Summoning something new?”

“No." She heaved a sigh, reaching up to rub at her temple. "Grimm have no consciences, nothing that lingers; they 'learn' from trial and error but it's based in the most rudimentary concept of logic. They have no memories, hopes, or sorrows. They just... possess a singular desire to destroy. That's easy enough to turn to my purposes, to bind their will to mine." A pause, a shaky breath. "It's because they have no soul."

For a moment, silence stretched between them as Winter's expression gradually relaxed. The pain and sorrow slid away, replaced by... something else. Not bad, at least not that she could tell, but _something_. "Is it going away?"

"Something like that," she replied, opening her eyes to stare at the ceiling above them. The room itself stood rather spartan, with only the bolted down furniture within, so she didn't seem to be looking at something in particular. Just... up. "I think they're lightly prodding now. It happens with my other summons- it's like... they're becoming a part of me, an extension of my mind. It's how I control them. But this feels different." Then, she turned to look at Ruby, and their gazes held for a long moment before she continued. "I think they were making sure I was telling the truth."

"Well, I could've told them you were being honest!" She couldn't help but smile. "But I'm guessing it doesn't work like that."

Briefly, her lips curled like she might smile before it slid away as she returned to staring at the ceiling. "Ruby... there's a chance... you know so many people across Remnant. You might recognize one of them, or they might recognize you. I'm fairly certain they can do that- recognize people, I mean."

Now _that_ crept under her skin a little bit. Before, when she'd tried claiming that Winter would use friendly faces against those who loved them, she entirely believed it to be within the woman's capabilities. Now, though... "You won't use them outside of this fight, though. Right?"

"No." She shook her head. "I hope they find peace when we succeed. I... hope they find a way to break free."

Rolling onto her back, Ruby looked up at the ceiling as well. Weighing the thoughts pinging around her head against what her heart said- she did it often, because what made sense and what was right didn't always match up, Yang had taught her that. Raven would press any advantage but her sister had a soft heart under bruised knuckles and red eyes.

"I'd rather not see them, if I can help it. It obviously wears you down and, like you said, they should rest, if they can." She sighed, closing her eyes and picturing dozens of faces she'd never see again- friends and allies they'd lost along the way. Some while fighting, others by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Atlas Command had gotten lucky so often and it was probably why they continued killing indiscriminately. Even though she tried not to, a few tears managed to slip out. "If I _did_ know any of them... I don't blame you."

"Ruby-"

She held up a hand, stopping any protest, and opened her eyes. Swallowing down the thickness in her throat, she refused to slide into sorrow thinking at all they'd lost to get here. There would be a time to mourn after the fight. "We've both killed people. There's a pretty big chance I've killed people you know, too. We were fighting on opposite sides of a war." Blinking her eyes clear, she turned her head so their eyes met. "Now, we're on the same side. I hate to say that they died so we could get to this point but... I also want to believe their deaths had meaning, one we'll make worthwhile when Atlas Command falls."

"Why are you so eager to forgive me?" Winter shook her head slowly. "Why?"

"Because we live in a broken world and we're trying to make the best of it. Maybe that means we make a lot of mistakes along the way but, as long as we _try_ to make amends, I think that counts for something."

Slowly, a hand reached towards her face, gently brushing away the evidence of her tears. "You're a difficult woman to argue with, Ruby Rose." Her lips twisted into a small smile. "And a harder one to dissuade."

"It's one of my better qualities," she replied, chuckling. "But you're stubborn yourself. How many more times are we going to have conversations like this, hmmm?"

"I believe that decision is up to you." Withdrawing her hand, Winter pushed herself into sitting up. "I'm sure there are more preparations to make."

"A few."

"Then let's attend them." Taking a deep, steadying breath, she got to her feet and didn't look nearly as unsteady as before. "All my summons are itching for a fight and they’re feeding off my own anticipation. I won't be able to remain still much longer."

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Ruby moved to join her. "Well, think you can give some people a crash course on operating the Paladins?"

"Those infernal things? With ease." Her expression pinched. "Provided they listen to my instructions. The _last_ thing we need is an accidental detonation in the loading bay."

"I trust you'll be able to handle it," she replied, the two leaving the room. She had to blink a bit as the low lighting they'd just left was a stark difference to the hallway. "I'll be on the bridge if you need someone to argue with."

"I'll join you as soon as I'm able." A pause. "Or you'll join me. Whichever."

Nodding, they went their separate ways, and Ruby couldn't help but reach up and trace her fingers along where Winter had touched. A voice that sounded suspiciously like her sister's pointed out the woman was rather warm, considering her namesake, and she rolled her eyes at the thought.

Really, she'd never looked _forward_ to any part of this. She'd planned for it, acknowledged every step in the process, continued to anticipate the complications with each step forward, and held hope for the outcome. But she didn't exactly _want_ it to be this close because there remained the dark, daunting possibility that, all too soon, she'd lose more friends and family during the attempt, not to mention sifting through the aftermath and reconstituting Mistral.

However... she'd be lying if she tried to deny that the thought she might get to talk to Winter about something _other_ than the fighting didn't appeal to her. When the Atlas military constituted so much of the woman's very being, there didn't seem much left to question, but now that she could see Winter for who she was- or, at the very least, who she wanted to become, she wanted to know more. It had started as a bit of curiosity during Weiss' speech, acknowledging the safety and privilege bestowed upon Atlesians, but that seemed difficult to reconcile with things like the interrogation squad existing.

She wanted to know... so many things. Hopefully, the time to ask would be soon.


	11. Atlas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go.

The sun dipped below the horizon as Atlas’ shore came into view. At first nothing more than a fuzzy strip in the distance, difficult to see against the sunset, now blue eyes could begin to trace the cliffs, see the spray of waves as they crashed against rocks, pick out the lights adorning both the Rehabilitation Facility’s docks and the airships patrolling above. Winter had never laid eyes on this part of Atlas and neither had she seen quite so many cruisers airborne at one time, each bearing a distinct marking. One cruiser at least per General sitting on the council, and a few others besides. A frown tugged at her lips as she spotted a slightly smaller cruiser that bore Terry’s insignia- a simple helmet cast in brown. These were soldiers who took their orders from a single source but responded to all threats together, a symbol of Atlas’ Command’s power.

She didn’t envy the task ahead of her friend. Fighting against their homeland was one thing but to meet their own soldiers on a battlefield, on opposing sides…

“Open a line to all airships and wait for my signal,” Ruby said, her voice steady and sure despite being faced with the odds ahead of them. The cruisers were bigger and more heavily armed than Winter’s flagship, and there were another score of flagships, all flanked by airships, besides. It looked like a swarm, a flock of death ready to descend on the unwary. “Aim for the carriers first. Take out the biggest threats.”

Winter moved to one of the consoles, flipping through the channels being opened up until she found Terry, who’d opted to ride with Flynt. They glanced at the screen briefly before chuckling. “Checking in on me?”

“Just wanting to see where your head’s at,” she replied softly, doing her best not to draw attention. “This can’t be easy for you.”

“We always pick the hard battles.” They nodded, grimly, a sour frown twisting their lips. “I don’t know what they’ll do. I can hope they’ll at least abstain from the battle but… that’s probably not going to happen.” They inhaled deeply, letting it out in a shaky sigh. “I realize this is an understatement but… this won’t be easy.”

Winter looked up at the fleet in the distance. “Do you think they’d follow you if given the chance?” When she looked back, she could tell the thought had crossed their mind… and they couldn’t answer, simply shrugging in response. “I’m sorry.”

“We won’t aim for the weak points.” She turned as Ruby stepped up beside her, lightly touching her arm and offering a small smile. “We’re going to try to disable the weapon systems and ground the ships, but we’re not trying to destroy them outright.”

“Showing mercy to a merciless opponent could be your undoing,” Terry said, though their expression showed just how much they hated the words.

“Maybe.” Silver eyes flashed. “Or maybe, if given the chance, people will run instead of fighting for a cause they don’t believe in, especially if they think they might survive.”

Winter sighed, looking out towards the fleet. “Sometimes, all we can do is hope for the best outcome.”

“And prepare for the worst one.” Terry nodded. “We’re ready to open fire on your command, Rose.”

Then, a new line opened, voice only as it awaited acknowledgement.

“This is the Atlas Command Defense Corps. You are entering restricted airspace. Provide your authorization code or alter course immediately.”

“Hold that thought,” she said, acknowledging the line. A moment later, Terry’s face was replaced by a slightly fuzzy rendering of a communications soldier, blinking in surprise at the screen.

“C-colonel Schnee?”

“Private. Immediately send a message to General Schnee to inform her she can find me in the Rehabilitation Facility.” Winter turned her head and nodded.

“All ships!” Ruby called out, loud enough for every console to pick up her voice. “Open fire!”

Light arced out as a barrage of dust infused rounds and beams shot out from their own fleet, tearing through the enemy ahead of them. The Private rocked as his entire ship shuddered from the assault, warning alarms blaring as several of the cruisers began to lose altitude. It wouldn’t be enough to bring them down but it certainly crippled them.

“And my apologies, Private, for shooting the messenger,” she said, registering the panic in his eyes before cutting the line. “That, I think, earned us the attention we wanted.”

“Mom, Dad, start taking us down.” Cat ordered, turning her attention to the others. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to give you curbside service, but we’ll do our best.”

“A little freefall never hurt anyone,” Dragon said, pausing for a moment before shrugging. “Well, no one with aura, anyway.”

“Let’s move.” Ruby- Rose nodded, and she turned to follow the woman down to the loading bay, even as the sounds of a battle newly begun echoed just beyond the flagship’s walls.

A few others- tribe members designated to go with them- also followed, though she didn’t miss the looks they gave her. The fraternal twins seemed torn, with the taller, broad shouldered one looking a touch more forgiving than his angry brother, and the two women accompanying them eyeing her suspiciously. The one with the Pheonix tattoo lightly shoulder checked her when they passed through a doorway and she got the distinct impression it had less to do with her heritage and more to do with being an outsider among family. The last of their group- a scraggly man who looked like the wind might knock him over- flashed her a slightly toothless grin. Amidst these new faces, those who regarded her with just as much trepidation as ever, she felt no qualms, though.

The world would change after today. Of that, she could be sure.

* * *

Ruby stood in the loading bay, heart racing as the ship lightly rocked- either from avoiding fire or just turbulence. She didn’t want to think why _else_ it might be lurching.

“Alright, let’s get ready to move!” Yang called out, their tribemates shuffling towards the edge of the door as it began to open.

Although she didn’t particularly _like_ the plan, they needed to move quickly, which meant everyone else would act as a lance, punching a way through the defenses while she brought up the rear, conserving her energy for when she’d need it most.

It made sense, of course, and she could acknowledge that… but it didn’t sit right with her.

“Steady,” Winter said softly. “We each have our part and we’re committed. Now isn’t the time for doubts.”

After taking a breath, she nodded.

Then, it became a blur of motion as they ran forward, one after another, falling down towards the Rehabilitation Facility docks. The wind whipped at them as explosions pelted the air, the deafening booms made all the more jarring as lights danced through the sky around them. Some of their airships were making to drop people off to deal with the ground forces while others provided air support and, with their task done, Kali and Ghira moved to join the fight proper.

But she couldn’t concern herself with the battle above ground, not as the waves rushed up to meet them.

They hadn’t exactly planned this part out perfectly; they each had enough metal on them to give Pyrrha a chance to slow their descent. Really, they figured between their weapons and their resilience, they’d make it.

Then, a small array of white glyphs appeared ahead of them.

“Feet first!” Winter shouted above the booms and screaming wind, flipping herself to land on the first of the glyphs. It seemed to move with her for a meter or so before twisting around and letting her fall headfirst again, though slightly slower.

With a smile, Ruby copied the motion along with the others, essentially bouncing between the glyphs until they could drop down onto the dock, landing in a crouch.

“Well, that’s handy,” Yang said, standing up straight and rolling her shoulders. “Shay, Jek, take point. Then Vernal, then the twins.” She nodded at Pyrrha and glanced at Winter. “Pick your spot, Wolf. Rose’ll cover our tails.”

And just like that, they set off in a dead sprint, Shay and Jek firing their carbines- borrowed from the defunct Knights back at the base, seeing as they packed quite the punch- to discourage anyone from intervening as Atlesian soldiers became aware of the battle occurring overhead.

After being briefed on what to expect, Ruby tried to keep her attention focused once they burst through the dock doors. She tried not to look at the various scientists running for their lives, abandoning their work completely. She tried not to peek into the containment chambers made of bulletproof glass for optimal observation. She tried not to think about the figures she could see writhing within…

She _tried_ but the glimpses she saw would haunt her anyway.

“Keep moving, Shay!” Yang bellowed, firing a few shots from her gauntlets ahead of them to destroy a door entirely, allowing them to jump through the crumbling hole.

“ARE YOU NOT SEEING THIS?” He shouted back, clearly unnerved. He’d never been much of a warrior but he could hold a weapon and he was more scared of the sisters than he was of dying. “WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING?”

“We’re here to stop it!” Pyrrha turned, throwing her shield into a small group of soldiers and knocking them back, summoning it back to her without breaking stride. “We can’t delay!”

But every step that took them deeper within the facility, the harder it was for Ruby to _not_ stop. These people- or what remained of them, at any rate- didn’t deserve this, and she sorely wished she could destroy every last piece of equipment to ensure it would end. It made the rolling energy deep within her surge, brought out by knowing just from what little she chose to see the amount of agony that these walls bore silent witness to, and it thrummed through her, bleeding out just the smallest amount. Monsters- destroying monsters, fighting monsters, that’s what gave birth to the ancient power in the first place, its sole purpose for existing, and she was running through a den of them, all parading about as people in their clean white coats.

Almost as if reading her mind, white Beowolves appeared, their jaws sinking into equipment and soldiers alike. White Ursas joined them and even a few deathstalkers- whatever summons Winter could spare set about tearing through the defenses and the facility with equal fury, shattering glass and rending steel.

It mollified her, somewhat.

Soldiers shouted as they dodged bullets, never slowing down. It killed her to be running this _slow_ , but she needed her energy, and had to bite back all but the few shots she could take with Crescent Rose without sacrificing her speed. Winter ran alongside her, the keen of her blade lashing out and finding the occasional target but more concerned with summoning glyphs to block the dust grenades lobbed their way. Fire and lightning danced all around them as the soldiers’ attempted to stop them faced staunch, bloody resistance, and more than a few caught rounds from Yang or Pyrrha’s rifle for their trouble while the others concerned themselves with suppressing fire.

The air in her lungs burned, turning acrid as metal began to warp under the extreme pressure of dust induced explosions beginning to melt through the facility. For all their military might, Atlas crumbled like a paper bag once water got inside, and she would _gladly_ be the flood of retribution.

“There!” Vernal shouted, rushing ahead to cleave one crescent blade into a soldier’s chest and pull the ring’s trigger, shooting him in the chest and preventing him from sending the three train cars sitting on the track away. “Come on!”

Ruby and the others dashed onto the train car, Winter heading to the front of it and sending the thing forward. As it lurched, the rest of them caught their breath.

“What. The _fuck_ ,” Shay said, running a hand through shaggy blond hair. “Wha- what even-”

“Stay. Calm.” Yang’s voice barely contained her fury, eyes glowing red. “When we’re done, we’ll wreck that place all to hell. But if we don’t see this thing through, _that_ keeps happening.”

Rather than respond, he turned and got sick, bending over double while Jek came over to help, concern and fury pinching her expression.

Ruby turned away, finding Winter standing at the controls, hands balled into tight fists as they rested against the console. She stared out at the retreating platform, shoulders tense, and didn’t seem to notice when she was joined.

“You didn’t do that,” she said, softly, already guessing where the woman’s mind had gone.

“I didn’t stop it. That makes me just as guilty.”

“You’re stopping it _now_.” A light touch to Winter’s shoulder caused her to flinch, but it at least broke her gaze, and for once she actually cursed the damned masks. In the woman’s eyes, she could always see the words she wouldn’t say. Bereft of that, she opted for a different approach. “You destroyed what you could. That isn’t… going to make things harder for you, is it?”

“It might,” she replied. “But perhaps fury can lend me strength. They deserve to be avenged.”

“That’s why we’re here.” They both turned, heading towards the front of the train so Winter could decelerate appropriately, not quite trusting the automatic controls. They could be easily overridden from the consoles, which became considerably more difficult while under manual operation.

Shay seemed to be slowly recovering, leaning against Jek for some stabilization. Everyone else appeared to be just barely holding it together, trying to wipe the horrors of the facility from their mind, or at least push them back and focus on the mission at hand. The sparse lights lining the tunnel flickered, ground shaking booms reverberating from the battle above but growing distant. Blake’s forces would stay near the coast to draw as many Atlesians away from Atlas Command’s base. She could only hope the battle was tilting in their favor.

“We’re coming up on the platform,” Winter said, easing back on the train’s controls. “You studied the schematics, correct?”

“You mean Terry’s map? Yeah.” Yang huffed, loading a fresh belt of ammunition into her gauntlets while Pyrrha reloaded her rifle, the others following suit. “Why?”

“You’ll likely have to take an alternate path.” In the distance, glyphs appeared, white Beowolves springing forth and running down different corridors as the train came to a halting stop. “If I don’t miss my guess-” She stopped, turning towards the biggest of the doorways branching out from the platform, the one that constituted a straight shot to the base. “She’s here.” Three glyphs sprouted three Beowolves, all rushing down the main corridor. “Take an alternate route. The Council will assume Mother’s stopped whatever incursion is coming; you’ll have the element of surprise when assaulting the headquarters.”

More glyphs, more Beowolves, and Ruby felt a stab of dread. Yet, somehow, she overcame it. “Right. Shay, Jek, start moving.” She pointed at one of the other corridors- it would take a bit more time but would also give them a bit of cover while flanking around to the headquarters building. “We’ll follow.” As the others started, Ruby spared a glance at Winter, who stared at the doorway while sending more Beowolves down to buy them time. “Wolf.” The woman turned her head and a hundred words sat on her tongue. Only three made it out. “Remember your promise.”

A stiff nod. “Bring this nightmare to an end, Rose.”

Some part of her feared she’d be trading one nightmare for another but she pushed it aside, racked back the bolt on Crescent Rose, and took off at a run to catch up with the others, all while ignoring the pain in her heart.

* * *

Winter separated her dagger from her saber, summoning one last Beowolf and sending it on while Ruby and the others slipped away. She could tell from how quickly her summons were dispatched that Mother was _not_ pleased. Unfortunately, the woman had such impressive control over her emotions that the only way they were ever felt was through the strikes she delivered. Despite being furious, it only made her more deadly.

In contrast, she felt nothing but peace, a grim sort that settled about her like a shroud. She’d felt like this before- during Azulen and half a hundred other battles. Knowing the stakes, the faces of those she sought to protect, the deadly intent of those she faced, all of that lent a razor’s edge to her focus. This constituted the epitome of her purpose in life: to protect. Now, all she had to do was keep Mother’s attention from turning elsewhere.

Eventually, she heard the steady tread of her mother’s boots as she came down the corridor, at first a distant figure drawing closer, not hurrying her steps in the slightest. For a moment, Winter considered taking the bait- in an enclosed space, their summons wouldn’t be able to aid them, and it would pit skill against skill- but opted against it. Mother never set herself at a disadvantage; she had superior reach and decades of perfecting her swordplay. Out in an open space, like the platform’s loading dock, would allow her cleverness to bolster her abilities.

Though it would give her opponent that same boon.

“What manner of mockery is this?” Her mother’s voice echoed, effortlessly projected despite the distance as she entered the docking bay. With golden epaulettes on her shoulders, a white cape bearing Atlas Command’s sigil superimposed over her own, and two sabers at her hips, General Willow Schnee cut a terrifying figure, lean and intent, blue eyes hardened like the finest diamonds and falling heavily upon her daughter. “Well? Do you have any manner of explaining yourself?”

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you’re blind to what’s in front of you.” She pointed her dagger behind her. “You let _that_ happen. Protected it, encouraged it, and yet you try to claim you protect people?”

“I protect _Atlas_ ; it is much bigger than any one person. They gave their lives for our advancement-”

“They were murdered by unnecessary experiments to maintain control.” Winter felt her fury rise, and voices that weren’t hers begging to be let loose. Yet, she couldn’t; they would have their chance for revenge in time. “I’m here to put an end to it.”

“You can’t stop progress, child.” Her mother’s eyes narrowed, a frown curling her lips. “Even dressed up like a mongrel, you’ve yet to grasp the basic rules of the world. The strong dominate; the weak are used and expended.”

“Strength derived from fear is a covering for cowardice.” She raised her saber, making her intention clear. “Atlas Command destroys that which it fears; you’re only strong because others have used their strength to protect. Soon, you’ll see what was worthy of protection and what true strength looks like. It’s not the slaughter of unarmed civilians, of innocent people.”

Mother regarded her coolly as glyphs began to erupt, encompassing them. As much to give herself an advantage as to keep anyone else from interfering. “So, this is the hill you choose to die on.”

“Yes.” She summoned a score of her own, tilting her chin up proudly and meaning the words that left her lips. “But I won’t die today.”

A moment of stillness.

Then, chaos erupted. White Grimm broke through the glyphs- Beowolves, Ursas, Nevermores, attacking mirrored copies of one another- and through the flurry of summons fighting summons, Mother sped forward, her swords glinting as their killing edges sought her throat.

Having only a dagger in her off hand made the fight a balance between defense and offense, carefully parrying the woman’s blades while trying to use the lighter one to sneak past her defenses. On top of that, they both had access to glyphs, feet always finding purchase even as they jumped through the air, speed lightning quick as they rushed at each other, sparks flying with every blow met.

Winter’s heart pounded in her chest, the rhythm of the battle pushing her to her limits. Blocking slashes, parrying thrusts, summoning a Beowolf to slam a Deathstalker’s stinger away, a Boarbatusk to hook a diving Griffon, another flash of steel, a glyph to steady her, and it never stopped.

If she hesitated, just once, she would lose.

* * *

Ruby ran, through the doors Yang had blasted open, out into the main thoroughfare of the base. It looked almost idyllic, if sterile, but there remained no question which building they were looking for, seeing as they’d come out directly across the street from it.

“Guess they wanted to be close to their sick plans.” Yang grumbled, pumping her arms.

“Shay, Jek, keep them busy,” she said, allowing just a little bit of the pressure to build, causing her eyes to shine. “Vernal, the door.”

“Got it!” Rushing forward, a few blasts from her weapon got them through to the lobby. From there- and up to the level they needed- the defenses would become markedly stauncher, and they’d be losing people as they went. “Stairs over there!”

“Cover us, Vernal.” Yang, Pyrrha, and the twins bolted for the stairs, and Ruby gave the woman a nod as they heard the shouts beginning to echo from all around them.

It never felt good to leave people behind to cover their rear- not to her- but, this time, she did it for another reason.

To protect _them_ from _her_.

* * *

Ducking around a Deathstalker’s stinger, Winter brought her saber up just in time to block both of her mother’s blades as they bore down on her. She had to use her offhand as a second point to keep them from inching closer; although geared more towards speed and fluidity of motion, the Schnee method of combat put emphasis on raw strength as well, and age hadn’t dulled her mother’s yet.

“You’re a fool to rebel,” she said, voice remarkably steady despite the sweat on her brow. “You aren’t strong enough to defeat me.”

“Not alone,” she replied, sacrificing a few inches to focus on her summoning.

“And what manner of-” The words were halted by a white glimmering club smashing into the side of her face, sending Mother staggering away. From a score of fresh glyphs emerged her former enemies, her newest allies, their voices now given throats to screech at her their fury.

It gave Winter the barest of breaks, enough to catch her breath and see the terror in her mother’s eyes.

“You foolish child. What have you done?” As each of the summoned stepped forward, she retreated a step. “This is _heinous_.”

“If I had made the choice for them, yes, it would be,” she replied, standing tall. “But I gave them the option to fight for revenge. I _asked_ them to join me; I am not _commanding_ them. And who are you to condemn me?” Then she used her dagger to point back down the train tunnel. “ Look at what you’ve allowed- are you truly going to stand there and pretend you’re justified? How can you pass a moral judgement on _anyone_?”

“That’s different-”

“No, Mother, it’s not.” She settled into her stance again, calling upon her Grimm summons as well while the others stood poised, ready to strike with her. “Our world is one where Atlas forces all others to bend to its whim, without regard for the suffering and death those whims bring. After today, that won’t be the case.”

“The only thing that will change after today is I’ll have one less daughter.” Mother hid away her shock, calling upon more Grimm of her own to flank her.

Winter weighed her options and decided discretion would do them no good now. “Two.”

For a moment, she didn’t seem to understand. When she _did_ , her mask broke again, brows pinching. “You turned your sister as well?”

That brought a small smile to her lips. “We made our choices independently.”

“Pity.” Mother brought both her swords to bear. “I’ll have to kill you both.”

“You can try.”

And then they set upon each other again. Grimm fought Grimm while the summoned warriors attacked whatever struck their fancy; they used her energy, her aura, to fuel their strikes, but did not need her focus. Whatever remained of the people they once were spurred them on, and they lashed out at the woman whenever they could, forcing her to summon glyphs to block the strikes her blades couldn’t, too busy keeping up with Winter’s relentless assault.

Wearing Mother down, while a viable tactic, wouldn’t win her the battle. The woman had reserves, years spent honing her focus and semblance; what it took Winter conscious thought to accomplish, she could do with nothing more than a look. Between them, Mother had the greater stamina.

It would only be a matter of time before her strength ran out or she found a killing blow.

* * *

Ruby jumped through the debris of another destroyed doorway, following at a distance while Yang and Pyrrha tore through the soldiers trying to erect barricades ahead of them. A golden shield bounced off helmets, a spear sinking deep into Knights’ chests, gauntlets glowing hot from expended rounds leaving welt marks on whoever got close enough to taste her fists- the duo made a staggeringly impressive fighting force all on their own.

They’d left the twins at the stairwell, and they knew that fighting their way back down to Vernal would be the priority. Although the resistance they’d faced thus far stretched the definition of ‘light’, it _did_ , at least, seem to be less than would normally be standing ready. That probably didn’t bode well for Blake and her forces, though.

Pyrrha stopped, kneeling down and using her shield so Yang could jump on it, hefted up and over the Knights blocking their path, and they followed her with their weapons, leaving them vulnerable to Pyrrha’s sword. Yang didn’t even concern herself with them, already tearing through the next rank.

All the while, Ruby let everything coalesce- the pain, the hurt, years spent training and fighting, the hopes she had for what Remnant _could_ be like- and silver began to pour from her eyes, running down her cheeks like tears to drop, leaving pockmarks in her wake.

* * *

Much to Winter’s dismay, they’d reached a tipping point, as she just barely managed to hold a King Taijitu’s head open with glyphs long enough for her to jump clear.

With even larger summons being brought to the fore, the loading bay dock had crumbled around them, the roof blown off by either a Nevermore’s wings or a Deathstalker’s stinger. Amidst the rubble, she found herself beset by even more Grimm than before, and she simply couldn’t keep up her summons. Long enough to block a blow, perhaps, but her versions simply lacked the strength and solidity of her mother’s.

And she was growing weary.

Mother thrust one blade through a warrior’s chest while the other cleaved through two more. Winter had no control over them, though, and three glyphs appeared so they might rejoin the fight. It bought her time but drained her energy even more.

Then came the moment she’d dreaded. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye a second before the fist of a summoned Beringel slammed into her side, sending her flying into what remained of a wall. It crumbled as she hit it and she rolled, trying to regain her feet and summon a Beowolf to intercept the beast as it jumped after her, but a Deathstalker claw swiped at her, knocking her down again. _That_ strike cracked her mask, thin lines appearing on the glass covering the eye piece.

She refused to give up, though, summoning more Beowolves and hoping superior numbers would make up for lack of variety, using saber and dagger to dispatch the Beringel and rid herself of the Deathstalker as well. The moment she did, though, Mother set upon her again, the flash of her swords almost impossible to follow as Winter’s eyes unfocused.

At this rate, she’d reach the point of exhaustion, but she would die on her feet.

“Where is your resolve now?” She blocked her mother’s blows as best she could but one swipe slipped through, biting into her side. “Where is your strength?”

A brief respite as Mother whirled, slicing through two warrior’s who’d tried to attack her… but no more glyphs appeared so they could rejoin the fight.

“You were so sure before.” Winter barely brought her saber up in time to catch the twin swords pressing against her, and again she used her dagger to match her mother’s push. “Tell me, child, are you still possessed of your folly?”

“It’s. Not. Folly.” She grit her teeth, summoned weak glyphs to keep her feet in place as their summons began to dissipate one by one until none remained, all their focus, their strength, poured into this test against one another. “The other four kingdoms deserve a Remnant free of Atlas’ control.”

“ _Other_ kingdoms? There is _only_ Atlas!”

They pushed apart, and she tried to slash, to give herself room, but one of her mother’s blades blocked it, held in place by a glyph while the other caught her dagger. That left a hand free to smash into the side of her head, shattering her mask the rest of the way. Only the left side of it remained, exposing her right eye. She didn’t have the time to mourn its loss, though, as she found herself caught in a test of strength again.

“No! There isn’t!” She gained an inch for a breath but lost it in the next, fighting just to keep matched. “Control. Everything. Kill anyone. Who disagrees.” Winter growled, her arms beginning to shake, but she could finally see the cracks in her mother’s armor as well, telltale signs that the battle had worn on her just as much. “Even family. That’s the world _you_ choose?”

“There is no alternative.”

“Yes, there is.” Pushing herself, pouring every inch of strength she had into it, Winter pushed back. “Give Remnant back to the people. Let them be free.”

“Free to fight and squabble amongst themselves.”

“Better than being killed en masse by an uncaring government!”

“Death is a release,” the woman replied coldly. “Those who don’t wish to be part of our world are not required to stay.”

“Even those you swore to protect.” She found the strength to summon a Beowolf, hoping it could at least distract her, but it was meant almost instantly by an Ursa’s paw. “Even blood.”

For a moment, her expression flickered, conflicted. “No. But you’re leaving me little choice in the matter.”

Mother called forth glyphs of her own, but these weren’t for summoning. No, instead they encircled Winter’s right arm, set just inches apart halfway between wrist and elbow. They tightened, pressing against her skin… then they began to _twist_ , going opposite ways.

Thankfully, they didn’t seem capable of holding her in place while moving, giving her a chance to push off and get some distance before they sharply turned, resulting in a sickening _crack_ and searing pain lancing through her arm as a cry of agony left her lips. Her saber fell from numb fingers, hitting the ground with a clatter as she tried to cradle her now broken arm.

“This is the consequence of defying Atlas Command.” Mother advanced, both swords flashing dangerously. Overhead, Winter caught sight of more airships, flagships, and carriers flying over the base, heading to deal with the battle at the coast. “Your insolence cannot be forgiven.”

Kneeling down, she set her dagger back in its place and picked up her saber in her left hand. Using glyphs of her own, she tried to stabilize her arm, limiting the damage of the break as best she could. “You act as if death wasn’t always a consequence of everything. Don’t be so childish, Mother.” Although it felt awkward, she’d trained to one day adopt the dual wielding style her mother used. Raising her saber with her left hand, she prepared for the woman’s next strike. “You’ve made it _very clear_ I should know what to expect.”

“Then perhaps it’s time to remove you from the machine.” Her eyes narrowed as she raised her swords. “ _Nothing_ can stop Atlas’ progression.”

“You’re wrong.” She managed to parry a few strikes but her defense wouldn’t hold, her off hand not nearly as skilled at doing the majority of the work. “Progress made at the cost of innocent lives isn’t progress at all. It’s just murdering everything you deem beneath you.”

“Transgressions against Atlas Command hardly make one ‘innocent’.”

Winter blocked another strike and tried to take a step back but found her left leg caught. Glyphs encircled her thigh and calf, immobilizing her, but that didn’t seem to be her mother’s intention. Deliberately, she kicked out, striking Winter’s knee, and with no way to absorb the hit and her aura already so low, the awful crunch of her kneecap getting shattered preceded _blinding_ pain.

She staggered back, instinctively trying to use her left leg to bear her weight and crying out in agony as it folded under her. It quite nearly made her pass out but she hung on through sheer determination, scrabbling back until she hit a wall and using it to try and gain her footing. Although it didn’t do much to stymie the agony, she summoned more glyphs to stabilize her leg, shakily holding her saber up.

But as hard as she pushed, Mother had her beat, and they both knew it. With ease, she knocked away Winter’s saber and drove the points of her swords through her shoulders, pinning her in place against the wall. This time, when her saber fell from her grip, there was no recovering it.

“This is what you wanted, is it not?” Fury morphed Mother’s expression as she bent down and scooped up the saber, regarding it briefly. “I gave you this sword that you might become an example for our soldiers, an inspiration- just like every Schnee that came before you. Now, you’ve spat on that legacy. And all for what?”

It was nigh impossible to _think_ beyond the pain- in her arm, her leg, her shoulders. But she could answer that question, at least. “For everyone. For peace.”

“Everyone? Peace?” She swept her arm out. “Countless soldiers have lost their lives today-”

“A pale fraction of how many have been killed in Mistral. Vale. Vacuo. Menagerie.” She summoned everything that remained in her and stared her mother down. “Why do their lives mean so much less? Who decided that the worth of an Atlesian life outweighs all others?”

“Atlas Command.” Then the point of her own saber came to bear against her. “And as long as it stands, I am sworn to uphold it. _That_ is my duty.”

“And what duty do you have towards your family? Your own child?” Thankfully, she’d reached the point where her body became numb to the pain and exhaustion, giving her a modicum of calm peace. Perhaps a prelude to death- in one form or fashion- but it made her voice steady. “If Atlas Command had demanded it, you would’ve killed your son, even knowing he was innocent.”

Her mother stared at her, brow pinching together. “But they didn’t-”

“ _This_ time.”

For a moment, the point of the saber lowered, but it was brief. “If this is your idea of begging mercy, I’m afraid you’ve gone too far for that. Even with your mission failed, your rebellion _must_ be put down. _Every_ warrior, including you.”

Leaning her head back, Winter could just barely see the headquarters building beyond the shattered remains of the roof. Just enough so she could see a window burst out, followed by a thin trail of silver light shining through.

And she smiled. “I didn’t fail, but I _was_ wrong… perhaps I do die today.”

_I’m sorry, Ruby. I did my best._

* * *

They found the door easily enough. Ornate and ostentatious but belying the solid steel beneath gilded wood; the door leading into the Council’s Command Center, at the heart of the building, with the most security. Terry briefed them on what would be beyond it- Paladins, Knights, soldiers, and the Generals.

Yang stopped in front of it and began wailing on it, using her fists to dent the metal and shatter the wood while Pyrrha kept one side of the hallway clear. The other side, Ruby fired shots down, but her vision was starting to get blurry as more of the ancient power writhed within her, leaking out as she both fanned it higher and tried to keep it under control. They’d come too far to trip at the finish line.

“Yeah!” Her sister shouted, finally breaking through the door just a bit and throwing both fists at the same time to destroy it the rest of the way. Then, Pyrrha jumped through the opening, using her shield to break a big enough hole and immediately tossing it back to Yang.

A choir of gunfire rang out, of all different calibers, and it obviously took everything Pyrrha had to stop them all. Thankfully, even dust infused rounds still relied on metal.

Yang peaked over the shield and then gave her a thumbs up before moving in front of Pyrrha.

Finally, her moment had arrived.

Ruby let go of her control over the writhing power, let silver pour from her eyes and over her shoulders, drenching her in light. She let all the pain, all the sorrow, all the fury locked in her heart- all of it poured into the light in her soul, a light that grew brighter with every step she took.

Pyrrha dropped her arms as Yang shot out in front of her, both of them using the shield for cover to retreat while she pressed forward. The hail of bullets melted into nothingness before her, disintegrated by the energy rolling off her as she made her way deeper into the room. For a moment, she could see the room before her- the flash of gunfire from Paladins, Knights, and soldiers not obscuring the Generals huddled behind their guards.

A few more seconds passed, enough time for Pyrrha and Yang to find a way to bust out of the building.

Then, she didn’t just _let_ the energy gather. She called it into her hands and wielded it, as surely as she handled Crescent Rose, and began to weave its destruction.

* * *

Just as before, the shimmer of light grew until the building exploded outward. But this made the destruction of the southern wing pale in comparison; it looked like lightning struck, from the ground up, a column of arcing light that tore through the fleet overhead in a bright flash, rending steel. Concrete crumbled, the entire building falling to pieces as the silver light writhed, destroying more and more, until it seemed to pull in on itself.

Then, it shot out, the silver arcs laying waste as the light grew, encompassing-

She had to shut her eyes against it and turn her head away, but that only dampened the effects. All around her, she could hear the destruction it caused as the base itself was torn apart, the ground beneath her trembling as the silver light wreaked havoc. Everything it touched crashed and crumbled, explosions resounded, and they got further and further away as whatever shockwave the initial strike caused billowed out like a terrible wind.

When the light faded, Winter opened her eyes, surprised to be alive at all. And, then, not.

Her mother stood in front of her, a wall of glyphs surrounding both of them, but the cracks across each shape proved their protection wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway. Beyond, the train depot itself was destroyed, hardly anything remaining, and beyond the rubble she could make out… nothing. Or, rather, there was nothing _to_ be made out; the entire headquarters building had disappeared, utterly destroyed.

“How…” Mother let her glyphs dissipate, staring in utter bewilderment at the skyline as airships continued to fall, their engines failing from catastrophic damages. “How did you…”

“That wasn’t me,” she said, a smile curling her lips. “I was only here to distract you. _That_ was the manifestation of the fury Atlas has sown in the hearts of those left behind. The pain and loss. Strength born of hardships inflicted by _us_.” When blue eyes- so much like her own- turned towards her, Winter smiled even wider. Maybe it was the pain draining the last of her strength or the relief of knowing they’d succeeded, she rightly couldn’t say. But it felt good. “You’re the last standing General, Mother. Your duty is yours to dictate. Will you continue the fight, sacrificing as many soldiers as needed to achieve victory? Or will you let the rest of Remnant know peace for the first time in almost a century?”

Static crackled, the sound of a busted scroll, and her mother reached into her jacket pocket to pull one out. It looked to be an older model- perhaps one of those that utilized the shortwave system. She flicked it open, the screen fuzzy and distorted, too much for her to make sense of what she saw.

“General Schnee! We’ve lost communications with Atlas Command!” The speakers crackled, unable to convey the sounds accurately but the booms she heard echoing gave a pretty solid idea. “We’ve suffered massive losses! Requesting immediate reinforcements!”

Winter met her mother’s gaze evenly.

“Send a message to all remaining Atlesian forces,” she said, enunciating every word crisply. “All other Generals are dead. Effective immediately, I am the sole member of the General Council. Issue immediate evacuation orders, extract to rally point delta, thirty minutes.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Whoever was on the other line grunted, likely as the airship lurched. “Ma’am, one of your daughters was sighted on the battlefield-”

“Daughters?” Mother’s expression pinched together. “After today, I _have no daughters_ , Colonel. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Good. Proceed with the evacuation. Leave none of _our_ forces behind.” As she ended the call with one hand, she raised Winter’s saber with the other.

She watched, unblinking as her mother closed the distance between them and thrust the blade forward.

It sunk deep into the concrete behind her and she didn’t flinch, even as her ear began to sting from the fresh cut. Just watched her mother’s impassive gaze as she released the saber, then took hold of her own swords and roughly yanked them free.

 _That_ earned a pained cry from her lips, her left leg immediately crumbling as she fell to the ground. Although the glyphs she’d summon to stabilize her injuries remained, they were too weak to act as anchor points, unable to bear her weight.

“After today, I have no daughters.” Her mother repeated, setting her swords back at her hips. Her cape billowed behind her in ruined tatters, faring not nearly as well as the cloak around Winter’s shoulders, slowly soaking with blood. “But today… I could not be prouder of them.” A frown touched her lips. “Perhaps I failed you as a mother… but I served you well as a superior. You’ve shown outstanding courage and loyalty, even if I don’t understand why your allegiance has changed. To this… rebellion, you’ve been a good soldier.”

“Revolution,” she said, the light correction garnering a nod.

“So it seems.” She turned away. “Neither of you will be welcomed in Atlas after today; you both are hereby stripped of your rank and title and disowned from the family. Pass that along to your sister, if you see her again. Goodbye, Winter.”

“They call me Wolf nowadays.” Despite the pain in her arm and leg, Winter found the strength to lift her chin proudly at the curious glance the woman threw over her shoulder. “Farewell, General Schnee.”

“Wolf… how fitting.”

Then, she left, with no further words exchanged.

Though Winter didn’t want to admit it, some small part of her ached. For all their victories today, some part of her had held out hope that she could get through to the woman… but some miracles were beyond reach. Terry had called her a fool and they were right.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself a brief moment of sorrow, to mourn the ties cut and lost, breathe in deeply the cool mountain air tinged with fire and slagged metal. To say a formal goodbye to the homeland that had raised her.

But only a moment.

“The evacuation order.” She spoke the words aloud, because she needed to hear them, needed to remind herself that the battle wasn’t over yet. With a groan, she summoned a glyph and used it to pull herself up enough that she could reach for her saber. If nothing else, it would be a suitable walking stick for the foreseeable future.

She needed to find Ruby- Yang, Pyrrha, _anyone_ \- and she had less than thirty minutes to do it.

In Atlas, there was a distinct difference between ‘retreat’ and ‘evacuation’ orders; if she didn’t act quickly, their victory would be short lived.


	12. The Way Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. Been a busy day.

Winter poured her energy into maintaining her glyphs, more for her leg than her arm. Both injuries brought massive agony but she pushed it aside, focusing only on finding the others and using her saber to help her move. Climbing the rubble proved an arduous task but she eventually found her way up to the street level about the same time she heard a shout. Thankfully, she recognized the voice.

“Over here!” Turning her head, she saw Yang limping around a crumbling wall, holding a hand to her side. Blood matted her hair and ran down her arms, her mask cracked and chipped. “You alright, Wolf?”

“Been better, Dragon,” she replied, wincing slightly as she put a bit too much weight on her lame leg. “Is Rose-”

“She’s alright… kinda.” Pyrrha followed her girlfriend around the corner, carrying a motionless Ruby. Although she didn’t seem to be bleeding, she looked… boneless. “Doing that silver stuff takes a lot out of her.”

“Hmmm? Winter?” Despite the thickness in her voice, the woman opened her eyes and smiled weakly. “She’s okay?”

“Yeah, she’s- hey, wait!” Yang tried grabbing her sister but failed as Ruby somehow summoned the strength to use her semblance, a cascade of rose petals appearing in her wake a moment before she threw her arms around Winter.

She bit back the curse that sprang to the tip of her tongue at the contact, pressure against her broken arm almost unbearable, but managed to shift her weight onto her good leg enough that she could try to return the embrace. “You made it. You’re alive.”

“I made a promise,” she said, doing her best to smile. Despite the pain and the loss… she’d kept her word. “Sorry about the cloak-”

“You’re alive; that’s what matters.” And then Ruby did something she didn’t expect, the action likely born out of exhaustion and relief. She popped up onto her toes and brushed… what felt an awful lot like a kiss against Winter’s jaw. “I’m… so glad.”

“Uh…” Before she could rightly think of anything to say, the woman went limp against her. Had she her strength, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but caught off guard, the glyphs she’d maintained disappeared and she crumpled to the ground. Winter _at least_ had the presence of mind to fall so she hit the ground first, Ruby on top of her and out cold, meaning she didn’t hear the groan that fell from her lips.

“Wow. Your mom really did a number on you, huh?” She turned her head, seeing Yang limp over with Pyrrha not far behind while Vernal leaned against the wall they’d come around. The latter two were injured almost as bad, blood staining their clothes and Vernal’s right eye swollen shut. “I thought you might be better off, being underground.”

“If Mother hadn’t shielded both of us, I’m not sure if I _would_ have survived.” Now that she had a weight pressing against her, she noted the strain in her breathing; had she broken ribs as well? “How did you-”

“We knew what to expect.” Lifting a hand and pinching her brow, Yang focused enough for her aura to flicker around her fingers, just enough to convey the idea. “We’ve been training for years to be that close to the blast.” Then her lips tugged into a frown, glancing over her shoulder. “Still… didn’t save all of us.”

Pyrrha finally made her way over, kneeling down to scoop Ruby into her arms.

“Is she going to be alright?” Winter worried- unconscious, she’d gone back to lying bonelessly in the woman’s arms, and it was far more distressing than she might’ve thought.

“In time.” Emerald eyes flicked down, a frown tugging at her lips. “It drains her aura greatly to use the silver light. She may sleep for days to recover her strength.”

Somehow, the idea of having enough time to rest reminded her of the urgency with which she needed to find the others. “We need to leave.”

“Hey, relax.” Yang gave a mirthless chuckle, scanning the skies overhead, absolutely devoid of any Atlesian aircrafts. “That blast destroyed everything in a five mile radius. We can sit tight while-”

“No, we can’t.” That earned her the woman’s full attention as she pushed herself into sitting up using her good arm. “I- I didn’t succeed in killing Mother; she’s still alive, the sole remaining General of the council. She issued evacuation orders; by now, we have less than twenty minutes.”

“Not sure how that’s a bad thing,” Vernal said, making her way over while clutching her right arm, blood flowing freely over her tattooed arm. “If they’re retreating-”

“Retreat differs from an evacuation; a retreat is however quickly is needed to ensure the least amount of loss.” She quickly explained, using her saber to push herself to her feet. “Evacuation orders mean to clear the area immediately because artillery is incoming.”

Three sets of eyes widened before Pyrrha spoke. “What sort of artillery?”

“High yield active dust rounds- red dust will turn the soil to lava, green will summon hurricane force winds- it’s the final contingency were Atlas to ever be invaded; give the invaders no land to occupy.” She looked to the sky. “They’ll come down in a hail; no matter what they hit, they’ll wreak havoc.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this _before_?” Yang growled, pulling the shotgun shells from her gauntlet.

“Frankly, I didn’t think it would be an issue; no one’s ordered an evacuation in a military setting since before the Great War and it’s not the sort of act anyone less than a General would attempt.” She paused, gaze lowering. “And it… slipped my mind, I suppose.”

“We _have_ had a rather hectic week,” Pyrrha said, though she seemed more focused on her girlfriend.

Loading a specially marked round into her gauntlet, she grumbled. “Yeah, well, we probably should’ve told you about the extent of Ruby’s power.” She wound back her arm and punched towards the sky, sending the round flying high and detonating in a fireball. “So… let’s focus on getting out of here. Otherwise, it won’t matter much who forgot to tell who what.”

“Any remaining Atlesian forces in the area will be more focused on the evacuation; if we have any airships left, they should encounter no resistance.” Winter winced, having to pause to focus on her glyphs. Her aura had recovered enough to close her stab wounds but reconstituting broken bones would take more time, meaning she would need to consciously dedicate energy to maintaining her glyphs or end up on the ground, again. “There’s a spot large enough to land an airship down the block- even the flagship.”

“Vernal, you and Pyrrha start heading that way.” Yang jerked her chin. “Take her shield; there shouldn’t be anyone left to fight and we wouldn’t win in this condition anyway.”

“Oh, sure, like the damn thing’s _light_ ,” she replied, rolling her eyes but pulling the shield off Pyrrha’s back regardless.

It obviously taxed her to lift it- and Winter found herself curious, considering the woman had never shown any discomfort in wielding it, even while training- but she did so, digging deep within to summon enough strength to quickly limp in the direction she’d indicated, Pyrrha following close behind.

Then, Yang stepped up beside Winter. “Alright, your turn.”

“My- ah!” Without any further warning, she found herself taken off her feet, the sudden shift forcing her jaw to clench. She just barely kept hold of her saber, left knee bending due to the weakness of her glyphs and turning her vision white for a brief moment.

“Look, I _am_ sorry, but we don’t have the time to argue.” She turned to follow the others, moving a little faster despite the color of her eyes- not quite her typical lilac, proof enough that she was expending far more energy than normal, something she likely couldn’t sustain for long. “You’re in no condition to walk.”

Winter thought about objecting for all of a second before acknowledging that her hobbling would’ve cost them time they might not have. Better to grit her teeth and bear it for the time being; that it blinded her to the destruction around them probably served as a boon. As a child, she’d visited Atlas Command several times. Seeing it in ruin… well, she’d have enough scars from the battle. No need to add more.

When they reached the landing area, Yang set her down, propped up against something- perhaps the remains of a car or building, she rightly couldn’t tell at present- while she busied herself with loading another special round.

Pyrrha knelt down beside her, offering a small smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better.” She tried to smile but a sudden stab of pain shot through her- she’d _definitely_ broken a rib at some point. “Can’t think of a time when I’ve been worse, though.”

“Maidens willing, this will set a new bar you’ll never surpass. Or fall beneath, as the case may be.” With a slight grimace, she rubbed at her thigh, where it looked like something had sunk deep into her flesh, the newly reformed skin pink and raw. “Once we’re on board, we’ll get you to the med bay. It’s fully stocked, correct?”

“If Semper wasn’t fudging her reports.” Blue eyes lingered on Ruby’s face, her expression just as soft as usual when she slept. “You’re sure she’ll be alright?”

Pyrrha chuckled. “We’ll put her in the med bay just to be safe. You can keep an eye on her.”

“Yeah… but _only_ that until you’re both healed.”

“ _Yang_.” Pyrrha chided, glaring at the woman briefly. Winter hummed, leaning her head back, several thoughts swirling through her head as she lost the ability to focus- blood loss or pain threshold snatching away her ability to think straight. “Something wrong?”

She blinked, looking back to see three concerned expressions directed her way. “I… suppose I’m not sure what to do next. I’d hoped to continue aiding the resistance but, bereft of that… it’s something I need to think about.”

“Hey, what’s the rush?” Yang’s brow furrowed. “No need to run off _just_ because we took down Atlas Command. There’s still plenty of work to do.”

That only confused her, though. “You _just_ said I could only stay until we were both healed-”

“No, what I _said_ was-”

“Would both of you shut it?” Vernal groaned. “I think I hear an airship coming.”

Sure enough, the low drone of the approaching flagship began to grow, the only other source of noise among the base’s desolate ruins. However, she could tell by the sound that something was wrong and her concerns proved to be well founded. Winter watched as it listed into view, smoke trailing from one engine. The windows appeared to be blown out, which accounted for the low altitude. That would make their escape from Atlas all the more harrowing.

But one thing at a time.

“That ain’t good.” Yang muttered, kneeling down beside her. “You wouldn’t happen to have enough juice to help us out, would ya?” She jerked her head. “They come down any further and they might not get up again.”

“You’re correct.” Narrowing her eyes, she lifted her saber and released the glyphs keeping her arm and leg stable. She needed to focus on calling forth three Nevermores, her reserves waning thin. However, none of them could mount the summons, so she instead had them carry their targets- Vernal with one, Pyrrha carrying Ruby with the second, and the third tried to grab Yang in its talons but she dodged out of the way.

“Cut that out.” The woman frowned. “We’re going up together, like it or not.”

“If I lose focus-”

“We’ll be fine.” A quick shadow passed over her expression, glancing up to where the other two Nevermores were already halfway to the flagship’s open loading bay. “I am _not_ telling Ruby when she wakes up that we left you behind but I _absolutely_ will tell her you tried to make us if you don’t knock it off.”

“I’m not _trying_ to be left behind,” Winter said, a frown coming to her lips, sweat beading along her brow. Splitting her attention between the summons and the argument consumed too much energy. “I need to make sure everyone’s safe-”

“Yeah, well, Ruby won’t be if you’re not, so just trust me, okay?”

“Fine.”

The moment the other two summons dropped off their precious cargo, she dismissed them, gasping for breath as the third one flaked, almost dismissing itself before she poured what remained of her strength into fortifying it. She couldn’t risk stabilizing her injuries again so she grit her teeth as best she could when Yang lifted her- much more carefully this time- and nestled them both in the talons. Flying up, however, brought with it jostling that sent tremors of agony shooting through her body. Her arm, at least, had _started_ healing, but her knee certainly hadn’t; eventually, she reached the limits of her endurance as a particularly hard flap of the Nevermore’s wings caused her leg to shift, tearing a cry from her lips a moment before the summon dispersed entirely.

Yet, somehow, they didn’t fall- or, at least, not far- as they were suspended in air by a mysterious force.

“See?” Yang smirked, not the slightest bit concerned. “Told ya to trust me.”

Then, they ascended- she could think of no better way to describe it- until they could see Pyrrha, standing at the edge of the hangar door, expression pinched into one of concentration as she held out her hands.

Her brows furrowed. “A levitation semblance?”

“Nah, polarity; only reason we’re still alive.” Yang began walking the moment her feet touched the floor, setting her down next to Ruby, tucked away from the door. “Also the reason I wear a _lot_ of metal at all times.” She winked. “Now, keep an eye on her and rest up; we’ll get the fleet out of here.”

She turned her attention to Pyrrha next, moving to the woman’s side as she stumbled, obviously pushed to her limits as well. Somehow, Yang seemed to be moving _better_ than before, wrapping an arm around the woman’s waist and pulling her arm over her shoulder, stealing a kiss in between a hushed exchange as they shuffled out of the loading bay.

Despite the pain in her limbs and the weariness that dug into her very soul, Winter managed to find relief in the cold metal beneath her back as well as the sight of Ruby resting peacefully beside her- though she did shiver. Although it brought her a bit more pain, she managed to shuffled a little closer, hoping she could at least throw a portion of the white cloak over the woman for added warmth.

In hindsight, she should’ve seen it coming; the moment she reached out and touched Ruby’s shoulder, she rolled, still sound asleep but seeking comfort. Winter had to literally bite her tongue to keep from crying out, not wanting to alarm anyone as the woman pressed against her right side, trapping her injured arm against her body, and Ruby also moved her legs, but once she settled, Winter could breathe again, though her mind remained fuzzy from pain.

At least Ruby’d stopped shivering.

Time became an enigma. She could tell it passed but couldn’t ascertain anything beyond that, not until she heard the drone of several other airships and, shortly after that, the impact of the artillery shells destroying the battlefield. The sky turned red orange as fire and blasts of heat consumed the area behind them and the airship rocked whenever green dust fell. She listened intently, wincing at the two explosions that indicated rounds had struck airships, destroying them. The grip on her saber tightened as guilt weighed on her.

Then, it lessened as she caught the scent of salt, heard the splash of rounds hitting the water where their effects were negligible, _if_ they detonated at all. Had Mother ordered it, they would’ve started firing at the furthest distance and walked the rounds _in_ , forcing the resistance to flee deeper into Atlas, within range of the defensive positions their enemies had occupied. This seemed to be the extent of her mercy and, while she would still feel sorrow for each loss, it could’ve been _much_ worse.

Perhaps it was her Atlesian heritage at work- considering minimal loss a win- and she likely wouldn’t express those thoughts to anyone. While it _could_ have been worse, the current situation wasn’t ideal…

… but they’d _won_. They’d made it out of Atlas’ sights. For every loss they suffered, those who survived would be able to return to Mistral or even Menagerie.

She couldn’t lose sight of that.

Ruby murmured, brow furrowing as something began to trouble her, and Winter immediately tried to soothe her with her good arm. Soft words, reassurances- a promise they’d be home soon.

As she began to settle back into peaceful slumber, Winter herself felt the toll of relief exacting its price. Her words became slurred, lids heavy, and no amount of fighting would be able to keep her awake much longer.

So, she fell to slumber.

* * *

Ruby slowly regained consciousness- it wasn’t like waking up, where she became aware of one sense ahead of the others. It felt more like floating down until she was back in her body, and then everything happening at once, but dulled. Not overwhelming but… definitely off putting the first few times it happened, like snapping out of a trance, but stretched over several minutes. When her eyes fluttered open, she noticed the light drifting in through the doorway and the soft song of birds.

Songs she recognized; they were back in the tribelands. Either she’d died and entered the promised afterlife or-

“Hey, look, she’s up.”

“We did it,” she said, lips curling into a smile as everything came into focus. The walls of her tent, her sister sitting on a pillow just a few feet away, her favorite blanket tucked under her chin, the warm body she was wrapped around-

… wait.

Groggily, she lifted her head, looking up to see Winter’s face relaxed in sleep.

“If you freak out, you’re going to wake her up, and she’s been hard enough to deal with the last few days.” Yang cautioned, though she seemed in high spirits. “She’s nearly gnawed my ear off, worrying over you.”

Slowly, her eyes traveled down, at least confirming they’d both been changed at some point- and she tried not to think about who did _those_ honors- and one of Winter’s arms and one leg were wrapped in heavy bandages. “Has anyone been worrying after _her_?”

“Oh, yeah, Weiss comes in here to yell at her at least three times a day.” A soft chuckle. “Every time you two were separated for more than five minutes, you started kicking up a fuss, and that put Winter in a _mood_ , lemme tell ya. Made treating her injuries… difficult.”

Ruby frowned, putting a hand to the bandaged arm, which drew a short gasp and a murmur in the woman’s sleep. She hadn’t noticed any injuries- at least, no lasting ones- when she’d seen the woman after Atlas Command fell… but then again, she hadn’t been able to see much, her eyes hardly functioning after releasing so much energy.

“How long has it been? Why hasn’t she healed?”

Yang pressed her lips into a thin line. “It’s been five days since we attacked Atlas. She kept using her semblance, which kept her aura too low to heal her properly; the broken bones in her arm are set but it’s going to be tender for a while. Her leg…” A shrug. “She’ll keep it but she probably won’t be able to move around as well as before. Her mom really put her through the ringer. And, uh, she’s still alive by the way- General Schnee.”

For a moment, Ruby thought about the things she needed to do- people she needed to talk to, arrangements to make, reports to receive- and then she sighed, long and deep, before settling back down, her head on Winter’s chest. They could keep a little longer. “She couldn’t do it?”

“I honestly think she just got beat… but she must’ve got something through to the woman.” Yang ran a hand through her hair and only then did Ruby notice her mask wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She didn’t often wear it when they were home but she always kept it close- on her hip or on display. Vaguely, she remembered her own mask being destroyed after she fell, the power that had destroyed everything else unable to keep her suspended above ground zero any longer. Perhaps most of the masks were destroyed during the battle. All the better. “Atlas personnel around the world are being recalled- military and civilians alike. They’re taking what they can load up but just abandoning the rest. Those who don’t want to leave… they’re cooperating. The Major over at the central base is pretty easy going and the Captain over at the southwest one already had most of his people sorted by the time we got back. There’s a few… we’ll call them… independent actors, running around the kingdoms and causing trouble. We’re handling them.”

“Then… it worked? We did it?” Ruby could hardly believe the words, blinking as her mind raced through all their plans. Vale, Vacuo, and Menagerie- if the Atlesian forces left, then they were free, no further fighting required. Or, at least, not on the scale they’d expected. “How did we hear from Velvet and Neptune?”

“Well, Terry didn’t really know how they’d fucked up the CCT, but they knew how to repair it; they’re actually pretty handy and Flynt’s working with them to track down the troublemakers here in Mistral. Oh, you haven’t seen this yet.” Yang reached into her pocket and pulled out a patch of fabric, holding it up to display the old kingdom sigil of Mistral superimposed over Atlas’. “Weiss came up with it. A lot of people aren’t exactly thrilled there are some Atlesians still hanging around, so this lets them know who’s who. Pyrrha and I have been working on getting lines drawn for the city-states, and we figure we’re going to leave the area around the central base to them. Give them a spot, let them prove themselves neighborly, and everything will eventually work out.” She winced. “Trying to set up the local governments is a pain, though. We were kinda hoping you’d wake up soon; you’ve always been better at convincing people to work with us.” Her gaze noticeably deviated. “And I’m kinda losing my patience for all the ‘long lost nobles’ coming out of the woodwork.”

“What about Blake?” Belatedly, she realized she’d left out a few key words. “I mean, is she alright? What’s the word from Menagerie?”

“Oh, she’s fine. Got a few battle scars but she’s doing alright. The White Fang sustained losses but not as bad as we’d feared; the extra airships and firepower really tipped things in our favor.” Her expression fell slightly. “I mean- they still lost a lot of people. I… went ahead and added them to the rock, along with Shay, Jek, the twins, and our own honored dead.” Ruby nodded- not enough to rouse Winter, though- and thought of the series of boulders that sat in a clearing just behind their home. An old tradition started by the founders of the tribe, that each leader would take a boulder and etch the names of those lost in battle, that those past and present could be weighed against each other. Raven’s held a fair few but she could tell by the look in Yang’s eyes that hers had already doubled that. It wouldn’t record the whole story, though; that would be up to the tales they passed from generation to generation. “They’re coping well, though- the White Fang, I mean. And our tribe. Everyone lost made it possible for us to succeed; their deaths weren’t in vain. We’ll be telling their stories for centuries to come.”

It hurt her heart, thinking about that rock and all the names she might recognize now added to it, a frown tugging at her lips. For all they’d achieved, they’d lost so much else. “I wish we could’ve given them proper burials.”

“Yeah.” With a sigh, she shifted. “I know it’s not much but Velvet and Neptune have already extended invitations to those who were displaced during the relocation, offering back the lands they had to leave. We did the same, of course, and no one’s kicking up any grief about it; Ghira and Kali even mentioned they might go back and rebuild their village.” Yang looked away for a moment, obviously debating whether or not to continue before plowing ahead. “Which… brought up the idea of rebuilding Patch and Velvet seems to think it’s a good idea.”

Ruby hummed, taking a moment to listen to Winter’s breathing, lightly rubbing her fingers in small, soothing circles. The woman didn’t strike her as a heavy sleeper; she must still be exhausted to not even stir throughout the conversation. “If they go through with it, I’d like to visit sometime. Do you think the house is still there?”

She had only the vaguest memories of that place- the smell of flowers, the sound of the nearby stream, being warned not to wander off- but her sister spoke of it fondly.

“I hope so.” Now, however, she didn’t seem nearly as nostalgic for their birthplace, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees as tension gathered in her shoulders. “I think… visiting would be nice but this is my home now. I have the tribe and Pyrrha… I mean, she’d probably move if I asked, but-”

“Hey,” she said with a soft smile. “You don’t have to justify yourself to me. Just… don’t pull a Raven.”

“Heh, nah.” She relaxed and flashed a smile. “We’re not going to close ourselves off anymore- at least not while I’m in charge. Our tribelands will be part of the city-states and active in the coalition.” Ruby’s brow furrowed at the moniker. “Well, we can’t just keep calling ourselves ‘the resistance’. The Remnant Coalition seems to have… stuck, at least for now. Kinda includes Atlas but also doesn’t? There’s a bit of debate as to whether or not we should open diplomatic communication with them right now. All we really know is that General Schnee is in charge and she’s not moving against us at the moment; Ilia volunteered to go back to Atlas and feed us information for a few months.”

 _That_ concerned her, though if Blake approved it, she probably shouldn’t object. Still. “I thought for sure she would never go back.”

“Yeah, well, you know her and Blake used to be a thing and I think it might’ve gotten to her a bit, seeing her and Weiss, uh… cuddly.” Yang cleared her throat. “But, honestly, I think she just doesn’t trust that it’s over.”

“Do you?”

“I want to believe.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s just optimism but I want to hope this is it. The face of Remnant has changed, Rubes. We’ve got a long road ahead before we can trust the peace will last… but we’re starting down it better off than we ever dreamed.” Yang got to her feet and straightened out her jacket. “I’ll let you get some more rest. Just shout if you need anything.” Then, she jabbed a finger at Winter. “And don’t let her use her semblance if she wakes up.”

“Yes, Mom,” she replied, both of them laughing quietly before Ruby closed her eyes. She couldn’t quite fall back asleep but just resting helped and it gave her the opportunity to soak everything in- the information, the fallout, listening to the birds sing and Winter’s heart beating in her chest. A soft moment to indulge as her sister left the tent.

Time crawled by, only marked by the lengthening shadows just outside her tent’s door. She opened her eyes every now and again to check but, aside from that, contented herself to resting, despite the itch to get up and start tackling the problems ahead with renewed vigor.

Because for all the work they had, they also didn’t have to do it all right that moment. Change took time; getting Mistral organized into city-states that cooperated with one another wouldn’t happen overnight. People were likely still adjusting to the idea that Atlas didn’t own the world anymore, their grasp reduced to the point they couldn’t hold everything under their thumb.

It worried her, too. She’d believed Winter when she said fighting her mom would be difficult but to see her injuries and know the woman still lived- it couldn’t be easy for either sister to bear. If the General opted to go on the offensive, they’d both likely volunteer to fight, and that sent fear lancing down to settle in the pit of her stomach.

She was pulled from her musing by a soft groan, the woman’s left hand flexing as a white glyph began to appear. “Don’t. Even. Think about it.”

Immediately, it dissolved into nothingness, and she pushed herself up enough to see Winter’s eyes and the small smile on her lips. “You’re awake.”

“Yeah. Guess I’ve been using you as a pillow for a few days, huh? Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize; I’m honored to serve, even as a pillow.” She chuckled, shifting slightly and showing some obvious discomfort with the motions. “You must be hungry. I can-”

“Let someone _else_ worry about that? Yeah, you can.” Ruby sighed and shook her head. “You’re not one for bedrest, are you?”

“Not when there’s work to be done.”

“There’s _always_ work to be done.” Her expression fell slightly and a bit of guilt nipped at her heart. But then she laid back down, mollified by the arm that wrapped around her shoulders. “We’ve done our fair share for now. If we don’t recover, we won’t be able to help in the future, and isn’t that what matters?”

Winter sighed, though it didn’t sound particularly displeased. “You’re still a difficult woman to argue with, Ruby Rose.”

“You wouldn’t have me any other way,” she replied, though she immediately wished she could take the words back. Not because she didn’t think they were true, of course, but the sharp inhale that followed them worried her, and she waited a few beats before tentatively prodding. “Winter?”

“Do you remember anything immediately after we found each other?”

“Not really.” Ruby pushed herself up again but found the woman disinclined to meet her gaze. At first, she couldn’t imagine what would prompt that reaction, until the worst case scenario jumped to the forefront of her mind. “Why? I- I didn’t _cause_ this, did I?”

“Cause this?” That earned her Winter’s gaze, realizing she meant the woman’s injuries and quickly shaking her head. “No, not at all. You likely saved my life; I don’t think Mother would’ve spared me if she thought the larger battle could’ve been won.”

“Then what did I do?” A frown tugged at her lips, and the fact it seemed to be _working_ prompted her to full on pout. While she generally didn’t resort to such tactics, she wasn’t above them. “ _Please_ tell me?”

Hardly a few seconds later, Winter's resolve crumbled as she once again looked away, a very light blush coming to her cheeks. “You kissed me just before you passed out. Just- a little thing. It caught me off guard.”

Her eyes widened. Yeah, she _definitely_ didn’t remember that part. “O-oh, I, uh, I did that, huh?”

“You were exhausted; it’s understandable.” Winter brushed it aside, turning her head to look through the open doorway. “If you’re not going to let me summon, we should get someone’s attention. You’re hungry and you’ll need to recover your strength.”

For a moment, she considered just going with it. Then, she shuffled up a little bit, hovering over the woman with one hand on either side of her head. “I’m not exhausted now, you know.”

She didn’t go for it, though. Some part of her thought she _should_ but another part could feel nothing but anxiety- perhaps she’d misunderstood- but she dearly hoped she hadn’t.

When blue eyes fell on her, she could see many things mixing together- uncertainty, confusion, and… what looked like hope. “I’m aware of that.”

Ruby probably should’ve expected a stall tactic and opted to dive straight to the heart of the issue. “I don’t remember kissing you but I’m not surprised I did. So, if we did that again, _this time_ , I’ll actually remember it.”

The woman glanced away, speaking softly. “Why would you want to?”

“Because I like you.” She moved one hand, backing off, making it clear that she wouldn’t mind an outright ‘no’ to her request. However, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t plead her case. “I know you’re still conflicted about what you’ve done in the past. I know that no matter how much I try to convince you that you’ve overcome it, it’s something you have to work through yourself. But I’ve watched you change and that showed me the part of you that runs much deeper- the _real_ you. You’re loyal, you’re dedicated, your strength is drawn from your convictions, and when you’ve decided to throw yourself into something, you hold nothing back. You do your best and you agonize over your mistakes and… I like that.” A hand ran through her hair, a nervous tick she picked up from her sister. “I mean- I don’t like that you agonize over your mistakes, ‘cause you probably shouldn’t, but I just- I like that you own them. You own them _so hard_ and I admire that and-”

A hand came up to cup her cheek, stopping her immediately, and she could see the war raging blue eyes. In Winter’s eyes, she could always see the truth, and as much as she wanted to go one way, something held her back. “I believe you think too highly of me.”

“I don’t.” She turned her head, pressing a kiss to the palm of the woman’s hand- what she considered to be a fair compromise. “And I think we’ve established I’m a bit stubborn.”

At that, she planned on getting up and finding them _both_ some food, but the moment she started shifting, the hand on her cheek moved, fingers carding through her hair and gently guiding her forward as Winter sat up. For a moment, they watched each other, just a hair’s breadth apart.

Then Ruby closed her eyes and the distance.

She remembered the goofy expression on Yang’s face when she and Pyrrha first got together. One didn’t have the opportunity to conventionally date while running a resistance and planning a revolution, but when they got the opportunity to indulge in the mundane things, they took them. Ruby always thought it was so amusing to see her sister act lovestruck because they really didn’t have a chance to be like normal people and Yang was just playing it up for the novelty.

Now, though, she had a different mindset on the matter, because she _did_ feel like melting into the contact, into the simple, sweet press of lips together. When they parted, she couldn’t help but giggle- because they’d just barely survived launching an assault against Atlas Command the last time she was conscious, and this somehow seemed like the _least_ likely next step to take after such an ordeal- and Winter’s smile just bolstered the warmth suffusing her chest.

“For the record,” the woman said, eyes soft as she laid back down, wincing only slightly at putting weight on her injured arm. “I’m rather fond of you myself.”

They both laughed as Winter’s thumb gently stroked over her cheek. “I’m glad I’ll at least be able to remember our _second_ kiss.”

A hum. “I’m quite certain that still counts as our first; the other one, you only reached my chin.”

Her brow furrowed. “Why did I aim for your chin?”

“I’m half certain it was as high as you could reach.” A chuckle answered her glower. “You are rather adorable when you’re lightly vexed.”

“I’m going to quote you on that in the future when it’s not so light,” she said, forcing herself up. “For right now, though, I think finding food for us is a good idea.”

“Wait, you should-”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Getting to her feet, she stretched, her tank top lifting slightly as she raised her arms over her head. “I just don’t have much energy; I’m not _actually injured._ ”

“Not you, too.” Winter groaned and grimaced. “Weiss has already yelled at me enough.”

“Well, stop trying to push yourself and you won’t hear another peep about it out of me. In fact, no work until I say otherwise!” Ruby dropped her arms and tilted her neck from side-to-side. “I’ll be back soon.”

She made it to the doorway before the woman’s voice stopped her. “You’re only fetching food yourself so you can tell people that we kissed, aren’t you?”

“Not at all.” She looked over her shoulder. “I just know if I don’t leave now, we might not stop, injured or not.”

Winter’s brows rose as a surprised laugh burst from her lips. “It appears there are more sides to you that I’ve yet to see.”

“Give it time. There’s a lot I still want to show you.” With that, she left the tent, following her nose to where food would be with so many people present.

And if her tribemates and those who saw her without her mask before noticed her smile stretched a bit wider, they wisely kept their mouths shut for the time being.

* * *

Winter watched the woman leave with a smile on her lips. Over the past few days, she'd spent countless hours fretting over whether or not Ruby would awaken, if the discharge of so much energy might've injured her in some way they'd yet to discover, and while Yang assured her several times that her worrying was unfounded, she couldn't stop. Now, though, it looked like Ruby would be better off than herself, already capable of walking around.

... unless…

She started pushing herself up, looking around for some manner of stick to help support her weight. If Ruby didn't have the strength to be up and moving about, then she could hurt herself by fetching them both food and-

"Lay back down." She looked to the opening and found Weiss scowling at her, brushing inside with her usual brisk pace. Somehow, she'd managed to get her hands on enough white fabric to fashion herself a nice skirt and bolero, with a bit of black and gold thrown in for accents. A far cry from her military uniform but rather reminiscent of the outfits she favored in her youth. "Yang thought you might try something foolish now that Ruby's awake and she couldn't be more correct. Where do you think you're going?"

"Ruby went to find us food and if-"

"Stop, right there." Taking a step back outside, Weiss called out to someone, directing them to find Ruby and ensure she made it back to the tent alright. "There, problem solved, now will you stop trying to make things worse? You sincerely don't know when to quit, do you?"

Winter scowled, trying to form a coherent rebuttal yet woefully bereft of the ability considering her current predicament. Bearing weight on her left leg still brought far too much pain, even with glyphs to stabilize it, so she allowed her shoulders to drop as a means on conceding defeat. "I don't like being kept on bed rest when there's work to be done. Now that Ruby's awake-"

"She's more concerned with getting both of you food rather than getting back to work, and she wasn't in a rush to do that until _you_ woke up." Her sister came closer, kneeling down beside the bedroll and sighing. "There _is_ a lot to do, which is what I wanted to talk about, but you have to let yourself recover fully before you attempt to help. If not for your own sake, then for my sanity? Please?"

"There's no need to be so dramatic about it," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Yang and Pyrrha had lent her some clothing, seeing as what remained of her military uniform was irreparably destroyed during the battle. A large yellow shirt, too wide in the shoulders to fit her frame snugly, and soft trousers that didn't quite match her height- compared to Weiss' clothing, she looked about like she felt; not quite right but serviceable, if anyone would let her do anything. "Is there something I _can_ do?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking, I suppose." Her frustration slid away, expression turning thoughtful. "Major Thorn's requested to speak with you; I can bring a scroll over, if you feel up to it."

"Did he mention what he wanted to talk about?"

"The Atlesians that holed up in the central base- the ones who want to stay- would like to found their own city a few miles away and return the base and surrounding area to the Mistrali." Pulling back one of the mats that constituted the floor of the tent, Weiss drew a rough sketch of the area with her finger through the dirt. "Before the invasion, the city was one of the nine seats of power in Mistral, and the meeting place for their kingdom council. Major Thorn thinks that continuing to occupy the area would be counterproductive to our efforts to make amends. At the same time, we don't have the equipment to move that many people and supplies too far, and building the structures necessary to house everyone will take time. There's a valley a few miles to the northeast that could be suitable but Major Thorn wants further confirmation this won't impede on any local plans."

Winter stared at the crude map for a moment, comparing it to the images she'd studied many years ago depicting the battle formations for the invasion. She didn't recall any manner of settlement in that area but would need to consult with Yang and Pyrrha on that front. Once Ruby said she could, of course. "I'll look into it and get in touch with him as soon as possible. What about the other bases? Are they making similar plans?"

"Some; those along the eastern shore were established as our foothold in Mistral, so were built well and away from any locals, but the further west, the more established structures were used in lieu of our own. With those who went on the strike against Atlas Command returning, there may be some complications in the future."

She hummed, rubbing absently at the brace encircling her injured arm. "Part of me thinks consolidating our people would best return Mistral to its normal state but I'm worried it would alienate those who opted to remain. Assimilating the groups is bound to raise tensions, though."

"I think that's where you and Ruby could do the most good, as soon as you're healthy." Weiss tried very hard not to smile, though the intent reflected clearly in her eyes. "A tour around Mistral to help integrate the communities, perhaps?"

Rather than jump on the defensive, she smiled. "I think that would be a good idea, actually."

Her sister's brows rose. "Finally come to terms with it, I see. That's good." But then, a thread of nervousness infected her posture, hands curling atop her thighs. "Which... brings up something else I wanted to talk to you about."

She softened her expression and her voice. "Go ahead."

"I've decided to return with Blake to Menagerie," she said, obviously determined to see her goals through but worried about Winter's reaction regardless. "She believes that building a community where the Faunus will always be welcomed is important to reverse some of the prejudices Atlas enforced across Remnant. Even though they didn't face nearly the same level of discrimination in the other kingdoms prior to the Great War, Atlas' occupation ingrained some habits into those they oppressed, and she worries there will be backlash against her people when the kingdoms run into the natural difficulties that come with independence." Weiss sighed, shaking her head. "I know it's going to be rough. Fighting alongside the White Fang earned me some respect but that isn't a universal feeling and I don't expect others to trust me immediately. But Blake needs help and I can't let her do this alone."

Pressing her lips into a thin line, she nodded. It saddened her to hear Weiss would be leaving, of course, but she understood the woman's reasoning and wouldn’t stand in her way. “When do you leave?”

“Two days. I think Blake wanted to leave earlier but she’s putting it off.” Her expression shifted, a light blush coming to her cheeks. “I think she was waiting until you were in a better mood.”

“Well, as soon as I get some food, I think my mood will be the best it’s been in months.”

“Years.” Her sister lightly corrected, which made her pull a face that sent the woman into a short laughing fit.

Winter wasn’t as amused. “I wasn’t _that_ bad.”

“You _were_ pretty short with everyone,” Ruby said as she returned, bearing a tray laden with food, another one brought in by none other than Terry. “Which, is kinda ironic, since you’re so tall.”

She rolled her eyes, accepting help in moving to lean back against a dresser set against one wall of the tent, her legs stretched out in front of her. Her left knee still looked swollen, even through the fabric, but it throbbed less as the four of them began to eat together. Eventually, Blake found her way over as well, sitting beside Weiss and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Although some part of her thought to remark on such an affectionate gesture while they were eating, she happened to have Ruby snuggled tight against her right side, the woman acting as her right hand seeing as her arm still ached horribly, so she let it go.

“Weiss mentioned your plans for Menagerie, Blake,” she said, opting to instead focus on the immediate future. In all likelihood, she wouldn’t be able to move around for a few days yet, so seeing them off would likely be out of the question. “I wish you luck with the endeavor. The Faunus have never had a proper kingdom of their own as a place of refuge.”

“Thank you. Menagerie isn’t the most hospitable of places, but we’ve learned how to get water from the desert and keep our crops safe. It’s home.” Her ears flicked, glancing out towards the camp. “I think my parents might stay, though. They’ve missed Mistral.”

“We’ll be glad to have them.” Ruby smiled, lifting a cup of tea that they both drank from- a bit sweet for Winter’s tastes but she rather liked it. “And if you need any help, Mistral will always have your back.”

“Thanks.” Blake paused then, as if weighing whether or not to address what weighed heaviest on her mind.

So Winter decided to prod. “Lien for your thoughts?”

“Well…” She looked to Weiss for a moment before marshaling her courage, sitting up a bit straighter. “I’d like to ask your blessing to court your sister.”

At that, she couldn’t help but raise a brow. “That’s an old tradition. How far are you willing to adhere to it?”

“All the way.”

Winter nodded. “Then choose your arena.”

“I’ve heard you’re rather of chess and I’ve spent the past few days making a set.” Blake nodded towards their half finished meal. “After we eat, of course.”

“Very well.” She turned her head, expecting to have either another portion of a sandwich offered up or the cup of tea, but Ruby seemed a bit transfixed by the exchange. “In Atlas, there’s an old tradition that the head of house must be challenged in a test of skill by potential suitors. Victory means the courtship may occur; defeat means either an outright no or to try again later, depending on how… embarrassing the defeat is.” Her lips curled. “Although, I’m not sure if I qualify as head of house.”

“Faunus have long held receiving a blessing from a family member as a prerequisite for serious unions.” Blake explained, getting to her feet. “I’m not sure where the tradition came from but the similarities work in our favor, I think.”

“Under _those_ rules...” Ruby sat up a little straighter. “Weiss, I’d like to ask your blessing to court your sister.”

She raised a brow and smiled, looking down at the woman. “Does Mistral have courting traditions like Atlas does?”

“I have no idea but I can learn new things!”

Weiss chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Just name your arena, Ruby.”

“A foot race!” She paused. “I can pick that, right?”

“I don’t see why you couldn’t,” Terry said, smiling softly. “It’s certainly a contest that takes skill to win.”

“Which I’ll not lose easily, I’ll have you know.” Her sister got to her feet. “You may have your semblance but _I_ have my glyphs.”

“Good luck.” Winter whispered a moment before Ruby shot up, already heading out of the tent while Weiss followed, hot on her heels and reminding the woman they needed to decide the rules first. Blake left shortly after, offering to get the chess set, which just left her and Terry.

“I suppose it’s rather silly of me to be surprised at this point.” They sighed, shaking their head. “But I’m going to say it anyway: I didn’t think _this_ would be the outcome of launching an attack against Atlas Command.”

“Which part?” She chuckled. “That we succeeded or that I’ve somehow gained a girlfriend and a sister-in-law on the same day?” A beat. “Well, presumably. Blake still has to win and I’ll not be going easy on her.”

“Honestly?” For a moment, their expression faltered, and she could just barely see the freshly healed wound on the side of their head, just above their ear. The shockwave from Ruby’s silver discharge at the headquarters building reached all the way to the coast, throwing their allies several hundred meters in some cases. Weiss used her glyphs to protect some but Terry and Flynt, along with the other Atlesians, had opted to fight at the front and center and took the brunt of the blast. “Seeing you in such high spirits is the strangest part; normally, you’d be climbing the walls.” A hum. “I wonder why that is.”

“Because too many people would yell at me.” She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’d _much_ rather be working on something right now.” Silence stretched between them before Terry made a gesture with their hand. “What?”

“No enlisting me to ferret out other things you can do or asking me to go find someone who can?”

For a moment, she held their curious stare... and then looked away. “Ruby said I couldn’t do any work until she says I can. She’s worried about me pushing myself.”

Terry blinked. “Wow.” Then their posture relaxed as they chuckled, shaking their head. “I really hope Weiss loses.”

Despite her frustrations, a smile curled her lips. “I hope so, too.”

Though she didn’t _plan_ on giving Blake an easy victory, neither did she intend to beat her, either. Hopefully, her sister would return the favor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An epilogue left. Thanks, y'all, for joining me on this journey.


	13. The Wolf and the Rose

Winter breathed in deeply, the early morning air smelling heavily of damp grass and sweet flowers. Ruby had started teaching her the names of local plants and wildlife- things she’d never bothered with before- whenever they weren’t coordinating the construction of Remnant’s new political structure. Usually it meant a walk through the tribelands surrounding the main camp or pouring over books whenever her leg gave her too much trouble. It hadn’t quite healed correctly, not in the way her arm had, and she couldn’t bend her knee to the same degree as before. In the back of her mind, it nagged at her that she would eventually have to develop an alternate fighting style to accommodate but… it wasn’t a pressing concern.

Chiefly because, though tensions hadn’t quite calmed, they didn’t seem to be approaching a boiling point yet, either. Blake’s efforts in Menagerie had transformed it into a full fledged kingdom, one recognized by the newly constituted governments of Vale, Vacuo, and of course Mistral. The Atlesians who opted to settle in the other kingdoms had established their own cities, well and away from the ones they occupied before, and although not every person seemed in favor of letting them stay, no one seemed keen on forcing them out. And, they had a few events to look forward to as a world community, including Yang’s impending marriage to Pyrrha, the last in a long line of culturally relevant figures in Mistral. Winter couldn’t quite make sense of it but she at least understood that the union promised to strengthen the ties holding Mistral together and improve relations abroad, since Vale still considered Yang to be a citizen of Patch, which had started to flourish in recent months.

The wind blew, causing the white cloak to shift and the hem to brush against her ankles. Pyrrha had carefully mended and washed Summer’s after the battle and it was returned to a safe place in the tribe’s camp immediately after at Winter’s insistence. While she felt honored to have worn it, she didn’t want to run the risk of permanently and irreparably damaging the fabric, and Ruby eventually relented after making a new one. The one she wore now had a light blue trim and a rose stitched into the back- a design that had taken her days to do and longer to learn, one of the few tasks Ruby allowed her to focus on while recovering. She felt rather proud of how it turned out and the fit of it, falling evenly over her shoulders. While she’d acclimated to the heat of Mistral, she’d taken to wearing short sleeve shirts under her vests, keeping her pants tucked into high boots to avoid the various insects that seemed intent on making a meal out of her calves and often hid in the grass.

All considerations she’d never imagined she’d ever make. Atlas’ dedication to control extended to their environments as well. To coexist within an established ecosystem… it honestly never occurred to her but she’d gained an appreciation for the natural beauty of Mistral’s rolling hills and mountains, the plains and forests. The tribelands included all of those and she’d started learning them as intricately as she could.

Winter heard the footsteps coming up behind her and softly smiled as the sun rose a little higher over the horizon. “What’s wrong?”

“Why do you think something’s wrong?”

With a chuckle, she turned, using the sturdy stick Ruby had found her to help bear some of her weight. When blue eyes fell on the woman in question, her expression fell a little. “You only approach quietly when you’re not sure how to broach a topic and that’s rare enough. It must be rather serious.”

Sure enough, silver eyes seemed to convey a deep worry as she held an envelope in her hand. “The first of the traders from Atlas arrived yesterday.” Before she had a chance to become concerned, Ruby waved a hand. “Nothing happened but… one of them brought this and it’s addressed to you and Weiss.”

Winter’s mood turned somber as she reached out with her free hand and accepted it. Almost immediately, she felt a touch of relief… and a bit of sorrow. “It’s from my brother. His penmanship hasn’t improved.”

Leaning the walking stick against her shoulder, she opened the envelope, leaning into her girlfriend as Ruby immediately moved to her weak side. It helped relieved the pressure on her knee while she read over the letter.

_Dearest Sisters,_

_How fucking dare you. Do you two have any idea what it’s like suddenly being the sole inheritor of our name? I was quite content with helping father’s dust business and then you two decide to heroically sacrifice yourselves to save Remnant from us, and I’m bored to tears sitting through the pageantry of Mother trying to salvage the dumpster fire Atlas has become._

_It’s not all bad, I suppose. With the military’s greatest failure unquestionable, people are turning towards other methods of protecting themselves, which means dust weaponry is in high demand. There’s also a bit of a Grimm problem around the smaller settlements and some Major’s run off and tried fighting them herself. She hasn’t gotten very far, of course, but the whole thing isn’t making the military look any better. Political groups are trying to undermine Mother’s control on what remains and she’s keeping peace by enforcing a strict martial law, which isn’t making her popular. It’s not likely to last but she’s putting in a solid effort at trying to return Atlas to some semblance of stability. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad._

_I do think she misses both of you, though. She had your rooms in the manor sealed off and the family photo was removed from the den shortly after returning home- which has become the new Atlas Command, by the by. Sometimes, I find her staring at the practice room but she doesn’t say anything and snaps at me if I ask about it. I’m not allowed to say your names anymore; you’ve both been officially added to the list of dishonorable traitors and there are standing orders to kill both of you on sight, so a family reunion isn’t likely in the future. Plus, it usually makes her glare at me if I try to bring either of you up, and I’d rather not find out how far I can push her patience._

_I miss you two, for the record. I never thought I’d lose one sister, not to mention both. I’m sorry I was so flippant with you when we last spoke, Winter. I know you were trying to look out for me but I never really appreciated how much. And I’m sorry I said you’d never live up to Mother’s example, Weiss. You always wanted her approval and she’s impossible to please; I shouldn’t have thrown it in your face like that. If I’d known those would be our last conversations…_

_I hope you’re both happy. I can’t understand why you had to do it but I know both of you better than to think you don’t believe in what you’ve done, what you’re continuing to do. Maybe one day, things will change, and Atlas will be stable enough to join the_ _~~territories~~ _ _other kingdoms as a unified Remnant. Probably not in our lifetimes, though._

_So I hope this letter finds both of you, alive, happy, and with bright futures ahead of you. I can’t imagine what those might be, though, considering you’re likely running around some awful valley, tromping through mud and who knows what else. Do they even have air conditioning in Mistral now? Whatever. I wish you both the best._

_Your Bored Brother,_ _  
_ _Whitley_

_P.S. I should mention that Mother’s rather convinced you’re both dead. The one time I made the mistake of pressing further, she said something to that effect. But I know better. Maybe it’s just that you’re dead to her. Either way, if ever our paths should cross again, I look forward to seeing my sisters. But you should certainly avoid Mother. And I’m honestly not sure if Father’s even noticed._

She folded the letter up and put it back in the envelope, tucking the flap inside to keep it safe. “Weiss should see this.”

“Kali and Ghira are thinking about visiting soon. I could send it with them.” Ruby wrapped an arm around her waist while taking the stick into her other hand, acting as her crutch for the time being. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s nothing bad,” she said, the two starting on their way back into the camp. “Whitley just wanted to wish us well and curse us for leaving him the family legacy.”

“I almost forgot you had a brother.” Despite her taller stature, the limp caused their strides to be even, though that would likely get better with time. She found the more she exercised it, the less it hurt and the easier she could move, but anticipated it would always bother her to some extent. Either way, it provided a nice excuse to walk beside her girlfriend. “You don’t speak of him often.”

“Whitley always wished for a different life; we forced him to be more like us.” A sigh left her lips. “Unfortunately, in liberating Remnant, we’ve condemned him to a lifetime spent bearing the brunt of our absence. If there’s any good news, it seems that Atlas is highly unstable and Semper is doing exactly as I thought she would: raising enough hell to keep the idea of a counterattack firmly out of Mother’s mind. She has her hands full trying to keep order in a kingdom where paranoia is running rampant. It’s ironic, really.”

“How so?”

“While you were ‘captured’, he abandoned his post in Vale. Had he remained there just one more week, he might’ve been free of our family legacy for good, just as he always wanted.” She shook her head. “It’s almost funny.” She could feel the shift in the woman’s body language and immediately frowned. “Stop considering an infiltration of Atlas to get my brother out.”

“I wasn’t-” She looked down at Ruby rather pointedly. “Okay, so I _was_ thinking about the feasibility of it.”

“Well, don’t. Whitley’s clever and far more adept at avoiding scrutiny than I am; if he wanted to leave, he very well could.” She paused, considering. “But if he _were_ to turn up at a port…”

“I’ll have Yang spread the word.” They entered the camp, nodding and waving to those who acknowledged them. By this point, Winter had been inducted into the tribe the same as Pyrrha, with Vernal being perhaps her staunchest supporter in terms of gaining the others’ respect. “Are you going to the meeting today?”

She winced, looking away for a moment. “I… feel strange about attending. I know I’m there in the capacity as your assistant-”

“Girlfriend.” Ruby lightly corrected.

“Or, yes, _that_ , but it’s… not a place where my voice _should_ be heard.”

“I disagree but I won’t twist your arm about it.” She hummed, looking away for a moment. “It’s probably going to last a while but don’t wander too far, okay? After we’re done, we can leave for our tour, if you’re ready.”

A frown curled her lips. “Will we be back in time?”

While she didn’t think attending the meeting between the city-state representatives would be appropriate, she also didn’t think leaving immediately after and potentially being late to return would be good, either. They’d put off their tour of Mistral because it always seemed like something else required Ruby’s attention but she’d put her foot down about them going before the wedding. Winter, however, had her doubts about the wisdom of that proposed timeline.

“Yang wouldn’t start the ceremony with both of us gone; we can afford to be late. But we won’t be.” Then the woman smiled, that specific one that promised she had something of a trick up her sleeve. “I’ve been practicing to _make sure_ we’re not late.”

At that moment, Winter realized she had two options: let the comment go or indulge the woman, and she found it nigh impossible to resist the latter. “Practicing what, exactly?”

With that, Ruby pivoted, scooping an arm beneath her legs and lifting her up, clear off her feet. It sent a brief stab of pain through her left leg but not enough to overcome her surprise, finding herself carried in her girlfriend’s arms rather effortlessly.

In a way… it felt right. Ruby had picked up the shattered remains of her, helped her pull herself together and find a new cause to fight or, a purpose in life. Her optimism, her dedication, her willingness to fight for what she believed in without sacrificing those closest to her- there wasn’t much about Ruby she hadn’t come to adore. It really shouldn’t surprise her when the woman found something else to catch her off guard, yet it did, and it brought a smile to her lips every time.

“See?” The woman beamed, obviously proud of herself. “I can carry you if walking becomes too much.”

“Clever,” she replied, seeing an opportunity and opting to capitalize on it. “But you’ve forgotten to account for a fatal flaw.”

“And what’s that?”

Slipping her hand to the back of Ruby’s head, fingers threading through the hair at the nape of her neck and directing her into a kiss- a long, deep one that set her girlfriend’s body trembling. When they broke apart, she moved her head to speak softly into the woman’s ear. “I know your weakness.”

“Not fair.” Despite the objection, she continued to smile. “You’re supposed to be impressed.”

“I _am_ impressed, but if you do all the work, that leaves me rather little to do except find ways to distract you.” Winter chuckled, pressing another kiss to her girlfriend’s temple. “You’re going to be late to the meeting, you know.”

“They’ll wait for me.” Just the barest hints of a pout. “Please? One more?”

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” This time when they kissed, she took her time and drew it out, lightly scratching at the nape of her neck. When the trembling started again, she drew back and raised a brow. “I would rather not be dropped, though.”

“Sorry.” A sweet little chuckle preceded her being set on her feet again, and she leaned on the walking stick for a moment while Ruby straightened out her cloak and ran a hand through her hair, the light blush on her cheeks rather becoming. “I guess you’re gonna tell me to go to the meeting now, huh?”

“I’m going to _strongly_ suggest it,” she said, chuckling and walking beside the woman as they headed towards Yang’s tent. “I promise I won’t wander too far. You needn’t worry about me.”

“But I’m going to, because you have a habit of getting yourself into trouble.” Ruby raised a brow, daring her to argue- which she wouldn’t, at this point. “I’ll come find you when we’re done.”

“I’ll ensure our packs are ready.” Because she couldn’t help herself, she leaned in for a chaste kiss- as much a sign of parting as one of affection. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” As she went inside to meet with the others, Winter turned her attention to their own tent. She thought- more than once- about suggesting they transfer to more permanent arrangements but also couldn’t find the opportune moment to bring it up. The tribe seemed rather partial to their tents as opposed to actual buildings and she didn’t want to suggest anything that might be seen as insulting.

At the same time, tents didn’t have proper walls and she’d yet to develop the ability to ignore the sounds around the camp the way Ruby had. Plus, she’d rather not be overheard herself.

* * *

Ruby entered the tent and immediately went to sit beside her sister, ignoring the knowing smirk directed her way. Pyrrha sat on the other side, as much acting as Yang’s partner as her own representative, seeing as her hometown still held her in high regard. An array of scrolls on the table projected the images of the others, the eight other city-states represented while Major Thorn acts as a representative for the Atlesian communities around Mistral. For whatever reason, they seemed to favor having only one person to represent them all, and that worked well enough as far as the other representatives were concerned.

The meeting itself was long and boring for the most part, outlining the state concerns for Yang’s wedding and the proper placing of guests, which traditions would be observed and which would be left alone, and how their union would affect the alliances between the city-states. Most of it Ruby listened to absently, more concerned with planning her trip with Winter to visit all the city-states around Mistral and the new Atlesian settlements.

“Will you be attending as well, Major?” Pyrrha shifted, always a bit… conflicted about the Atlesian soldiers she recognized from her time in the augmentation force. She didn’t bear any ill will to those who stayed but… well, history had a way of creeping up on her, sometimes.

“I would be honored to do so,” he replied with a smile, wincing as someone off screen shouted something. “And the Lieutenant would like to attend as well.”

“Are we sure this is a suitable event for Atlesians to attend?” One of the western representatives grumbled, a severe furrow to his brow. “Unions of this nature are not simply spectacles for outsiders to gawk at.”

“Thorn and DeLeon are friends of Winter’s,” Ruby said, waving a hand. “They’re hardly outsiders.” Several of the representatives shifted uncomfortably and she braced herself for _this_ dance. “Winter is-”

“We know well who she is,” he said, apparently done with trying to be polite. “But forgive me if I find it hard to believe that the Wolf of Azulen is to be trusted based on your word alone.”

“It’s not just _my word_ ; she’s part of the reason we succeeded in overthrowing Atlas and freeing Remnant. Her actions speak much louder than my voice,” she replied, a bit of heat infecting her voice. However, in the next moment, her tone turned cool, just as Winter’s did whenever she was sufficiently furious. “However, if you find that too difficult to believe, I advise you reflect on your own contribution to the revolution.”

Immediately, the man broke eye contact. While those in western Mistral had eagerly joined the resistance, not everyone _did_ , and many remained behind when the tribe went across the sea with the White Fang.

“Regardless, Winter is a friend and more than welcomed in the tribelands.” Yang smoothly cut in, saving the man from the embarrassment of articulating himself- though his silence said enough on its own. “As hosts, you will be expected to treat our attendees with respect. Your feelings on the matter aren’t our concern.”

“You certainly have your mother’s delicate way with words.”

“And my other mother’s sense of mercy,” she replied, offering a smile that only slightly distracted from the dangerous glint in her eyes. In that moment, she could tell that every representative found themselves questioning which mother bequeathed which, and neither answer tilted in their favor. “But we’ll keep in mind to leave you off the guest list for my sister’s wedding.”

Ruby laughed, at once thinking perhaps Yang was jumping the gun a bit… but also not. She wouldn’t object to the idea of a proposal, at least, but figured giving it a few more months would be better. _At least_ until she managed to finish the present she’d started working on- a chief reason why she looked forward to their tour of Mistral as much as Winter did. There remained a few more pieces and raw materials she’d need before completing the new weapon for her girlfriend.

Winter’s saber, although still functional and usually on her hip, would be far more difficult to use with her leg being unable to bear her weight as solidly as before. She’d need a new weapon that could function both as a means of defending herself and be comparatively inconspicuous. A cane- the obvious answer- seemed too… mundane for the woman, too simple. She needed something that matched the understated intensity of her gaze, quick as her mind and strong as her heart.

“Any other visitors from Atlas?” Yang tilted her head, her attention directed towards those in the east. “Have there been _any_ problems?”

“No. Atlas relied on resources provided by the rest of Remnant; they’re rather willing to pay the prices we ask out of necessity.”

“Good.” She nodded. “Let us know if they start up any trouble and we look forward to hosting all of you here in the tribelands.” Lilac eyes focused rather intently on the dissenter. “ _All_ of you.”

The others murmured their farewells as the projections shut off, leaving the three of them to sit in silence for a moment.

“Well, with that done, I suppose you and Winter will be off then?” Pyrrha set a hand on Yang’s back, soothing away the expression that flickered over her sister’s face.

“Yeah. I think this is going to be really good- for all of us.” She got to her feet, brushing off her skirt. “Instilling trust in others is one thing but giving her a chance to really experience Mistral… I think people will be more willing to accept the other Atlesians once they meet her.”

“I hope you’re right,” Yang said, puffing out a breath. “If that guy opens his mouth again, I might just close it for him. Permanently.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Try to keep the fists of fury to a minimum, okay? Atlas is in no position to pose a threat but we really shouldn’t be giving anyone ideas. The _last_ thing we need right now is a civil war.”

“That’s the truth of it.” Getting up, her sister wrapped her up in a bear hug. “You stay safe out there, alright? Gimme a call if someone starts running their mouth and I’ll bring everyone I can find to fuck ‘em up.”

“You’re assuming I’m just going to _let_ them run their mouth in the first place.” With a chuckle, she returned the embrace, giving Pyrrha a hug as well when Yang let her go. “We’ll be back soon. I know she wants to walk most of the way but we’ll probably catch rides where we can. We’ll be back in time for the wedding.” Then, she smiled. “I already showed her the backup plan.”

“Oh, so _that’s_ why you were blushing when you came in.” Her sister wiggled her eyebrows, earning her a playful shove. “Hey, I told you it’d work!”

“Yeah, whatever.” She waved at both of them. “Love you two! See you in a couple months!”

They called after her, Yang getting in one last tease before she left the tent, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

After so many years of fighting to scrape by, planning and plotting, feeling like every day was a toss of the dice… it felt nice to be complacent for once. To plan on leaving without worrying about ambushes or patrols.

Not that she planned on leaving Crescent Rose behind, of course. But that she _could_ was a dream she’d been hesitant to have a year ago.

How far they’d come.

* * *

Winter tread lightly towards the large boulders at the back of the camp, keeping an eye out for anyone who might notice her. Ever since entering the tribelands, she’d felt a pull niggling at the back of her mind, not strong enough to distract her but insistent all the same, drawing her to this spot. She knew it held significant importance to the tribe- a means of honoring their fallen- but she couldn’t quite understand why _she_ felt the need to visit. Not until she found herself standing before one of the boulders, the name ‘Raven’ carved at the top with a short list below it. To the right sat one with ‘Yang’ in the same spot but a much longer list, most of the names carved into it fresh.

But that wasn’t what drew her attention.

Using the stick, she summoned a glyph, unsurprised when one of the warriors she’d felled in Azulen emerged from it. She remembered him- mostly the look of fear in his eyes just before her saber plunged into his chest- and watched as he approached the rock, tracing glowing white fingers over one name in particular.

“Is that you?” He looked back at her and nodded. “Then this is your home.” Softly, she could hear the words whispered in her mind, an answer to every question she could think to ask. He’d left the tribe, dissatisfied with Raven’s means of resistance, and joined those in Vacuo who were willing to fight to the bitter end. He met his, because of her. “I’m sorry.” Much to her surprise, she felt a sense of peace touch her, and parts of him began to flake off, disappearing. “Will you be able to rest now?” He nodded, more of his form dispersing. “Will… the others be able to find theirs? If I can find the places they’re from?” This time, the warrior shrugged, but she could hear a dozen other voices, whispering, all begging her to at least try. “Very well. Thank you, for your help. I hope you can finally rest in peace now.”

With that, he smiled at her, just before his form dissolved completely, leaving behind nothing. She found tears pricking at her eyes, and she couldn’t be sure if they were hers, but she understood the sentiment all the same. To lay a soul to rest… perhaps this trip around Mistral would be the first of many- to Vacuo, Vale, wherever they pulled her. They deserved to finally be given peace.

“Winter?” Blinking, she turned to find Ruby coming up behind her, brow pinching together. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” She chuckled, looking back at the rock. “I just found out there’s a way to give the souls my semblance carries their peaceful rest. One of them… was from the tribe.” Stepping forward, she indicated the name he had. “Did you know him?”

A hum, then a nod. “I did, but we didn’t talk much. He argued with Raven a lot though; he wanted us to fight Atlas outright. I remember he left to do just that.”

“Is that why his name’s written here?”

“Raven found out he’d died but she didn’t mention any details.” She stepped up beside her, silver eyes roaming over the names- the old and the new, those on Raven’s rock and those on Yang’s. “So, you can’t summon him anymore?”

“No. He’s gone, for good.” Her hand dropped. “I’d like to give the others peace as well. I’m not sure where they’re from but Vacuo would be a good bet. It seems like they can lead me once I’m close.”

“I’m sure Neptune would love to host us after the wedding.” Ruby smiled, a chuckle leaving her lips. “They’re so wrong about you.”

“Who is?”

“The representatives. They still think of you as the big, bad Wolf of Azulen. But I know better.” A wide smiled stretched her lips. “You’re really just a cuddly puppy with a soft heart.”

Winter immediately frowned. “You’re the only person on Remnant allowed to compare me to a dog, I’ll have you know.”

That didn’t seem to faze Ruby in the slightest, slipping a hand into hers and threading their fingers. “I should be the only person on Remnant allowed to do a lot of things to you.”

“That you are,” she replied, her displeasure sliding away. “Because you’re the woman I love.”

The way silver eye lit up when the words left her mouth- she’d probably never get used to that and she hoped it would never stop. “I love you, too.” Ruby popped up, sneaking in a sweet kiss before turning to lead her back towards the center of camp. “Ready to go?”

“I always stand ready to follow you anywhere.”

“ _Just_ like a puppy.”

“The first time was cute; subsequent times are likely to get you in trouble.”

“And what would my punishment be?”

“I can get rather creative.” Winter laughed at the smirk that met her. “Now, I suspect that’s been your plan all along.”

“You should know better than to try fighting me.” The hand in hers gave an affectionate squeeze. “I’ve always had you beat.”

“A defeat I’m more than happy to accept.”

They continued into the camp and gathered their packs, waving goodbye to those who opted to see them off. Nora and Ren got in their farewells- one over the top and the other understated, as per usual- and Vernal waved from her spot next to a recovered Paladin Ruby repaired the previous week. Yang and Pyrrha made their appearances as well, two bone crushing hugs for both of them and constant well wishes accompanying the soon-to-be-married couple’s wide smiles as they neared the camp’s gate.

When they reached it, having run out of tribemates to say goodbye, they both flipped up their hoods, intertwined their hands, and began their journey. Her gait wasn't as steady as before, not as measured, but Ruby was smooth where she stumbled and offered support without words.

Winter smiled and squeezed the hand in hers as they crested a hill, Mistral’s natural beauty and the future they'd won stretching before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here, we've reached the end of this particular journey. Thanks, everyone, for the support, and welcome to this rarepair hell. :) A huge shoutout to Aranea for encouraging this madness.
> 
> Also, if you're curious, Ruby calling Winter her "big bad wolf" is literally what spawned this whole thing. Yeah, really. That's the line I've been building up to this whole time. That line is what shaped the majority of the plot. I just wanted to have Ruby teasing Winter about being a big bad wolf, that's it.


End file.
